Tributes have flooded in for First Minister Alex Salmond after he announced he was stepping down.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Alex is a politician of huge talent and passion. He has been an effective First Minister and always fights his corner.
“While we disagree profoundly about his goal of a separated Scotland, and many other things, I respect and admire his huge contribution to politics and public life.”
Scottish Labour Leader Johann Lamont said: “Alex Salmond turned a minority party into a party of opposition into a party of government and was responsible for there being a referendum on Scotland leaving the United Kingdom.
“He has undoubtedly been an immense figure in Scottish political history. I do not detract from his achievements when I say that his love of Scottish independence sometimes blinded him to its consequences.
“He should be proud of his career and not allow the manner of its ending to dominate his thinking. There is no question that Nicola Sturgeon and he were a formidable team.”
Labour leader Ed Miliband said he was a “formidable front-line leader”.
Scottish Green Party Co-convener Patrick Harvie MSP said: “It’s no secret that the Scottish Green Party and I haven’t always agreed with Alex Salmond about a range of policy issues, but nobody in Scottish politics can doubt his commitment to the cause of Scottish independence, or the impact he has had not only within Scotland, but also on a movement which still has the potential to reshape politics throughout these islands.
“The First Minister is 100 per cent right to say that the aftermath of the independence referendum remains redolent with possibility, and that the incredible public engagement in our political process means that power must now lie with the public will, not with political parties in Westminster or Holyrood.
Western Isles SNP MP Angus MacNeil said: “Alex Salmond an amazing leader and a great guy ..fortunate to have worked along aside him .. I m not surprised he deserves to enjoy his golf.”
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the favourite to succeed her long-time colleague, said: “Alex Salmond’s achievements as SNP leader and Scotland’s First Minister are second to none.
“He led the SNP into government and has given our country a renewed self confidence. Through policies such as the council tax freeze, free prescriptions and the scrapping of tuition fees, he has made a real difference for hundreds of thousands of Scots. And yesterday he inspired 1.6 million of our fellow citizens to vote Yes to independence.
“The personal debt of gratitude I owe Alex is immeasurable. He has been my friend, mentor and colleague for more than 20 years. Quite simply, I would not have been able to do what I have in politics without his constant advice, guidance and support through all these years.
“Alex’ announcement today inevitably raises the question of whether I will be a candidate to succeed him as SNP leader. I can think of no greater privilege than to seek to lead the Party I joined when I was just 16. However, that decision is not for today. My priority this weekend, after a long and hard campaign, is to get some rest and spend time with my family. I also want the focus over the next few days to be on the outstanding record and achievements of the finest First Minister Scotland has had.