Key dates during Alex Salmond’s political career

• December 31 1954: Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond is born in Linlithgow, West Lothian.

• 1973: Joins the SNP while a student at St Andrews University.

• June 1987: Elected to Westminster, winning the seat of Banff and Buchan.

• March 1988: Mr Salmond makes headlines when he disrupts chancellor Nigel Lawson’s budget speech in the House of Commons. The incident results in him being suspended for a week.

• September 1990: Becomes leader of the SNP for the first time.

• September 1997: A referendum to establish the new Scottish Parliament is held.

• May 1999: As well as being the MP for Banff and Buchan, Mr Salmond is elected as MSP for the same constituency in the first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament.

• July 2000: Mr Salmond announces he is to stand down as SNP leader to concentrate on Westminster. He is succeeded by John Swinney.

• June 2004: After Mr Swinney resigns as leader, Mr Salmond says he has no intention of returning – but later announces he will stand for the leadership.

• May 2007: Mr Salmond returns to Holyrood, winning the Gordon constituency. The SNP becomes the largest party and Mr Salmond is elected Scotland’s first SNP first minister.

• May 2011: Mr Salmond leads the SNP to a landslide victory in the Scottish Parliament election.

• 2012: Mr Salmond launches the Scottish Government’s consultation on plans to hold an independence referendum.

• September 2014: Voters are asked “Should Scotland be an independent country?”

• 45% vote Yes, with 55% opting to stay in the UK. Mr Salmond announces his intention to step down as SNP leader and first minister and is succeeded in both posts by Ms Sturgeon in November.

• May 2015: Mr Salmond returns to Westminster as MP for Gordon.

• June 2017: In a snap general election, Mr Salmond loses his seat.

• August 2017: Mr Salmond stages a chat show during the Fringe. Then announces it is to become a TV show on Russian broadcaster RT.

• August 2018: Mr Salmond denies claims of harassment against him and launches a court action against the Scottish Government to contest the complaints process.