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| Ex SNP leader Alex Salmond to stand for UK parliament | Ex SNP leader Alex Salmond to stand for UK parliament |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Former SNP leader Alex Salmond is to stand for a seat at Westminster at next May's General Election, the BBC understands. | Former SNP leader Alex Salmond is to stand for a seat at Westminster at next May's General Election, the BBC understands. |
| He will contest the Gordon seat held by retiring Lib Dem MP Sir Malcolm Bruce. | He will contest the Gordon seat held by retiring Lib Dem MP Sir Malcolm Bruce. |
| Mr Salmond stood down as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister after the "Yes" campaign was defeated in September's independence referendum. | Mr Salmond stood down as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister after the "Yes" campaign was defeated in September's independence referendum. |
| He is expected to confirm his decision when he addresses a meeting in the constituency on Sunday morning. | He is expected to confirm his decision when he addresses a meeting in the constituency on Sunday morning. |
| There has been intense speculation that Mr Salmond would seek to return to Westminster ever since he announced he was stepping down as first minister. | There has been intense speculation that Mr Salmond would seek to return to Westminster ever since he announced he was stepping down as first minister. |
| He currently represents the constituency of Aberdeenshire East in the Scottish Parliament and had indicated he would continue in that role. | |
| At the 2010 General Election Mr Bruce held the Gordon constituency in Aberdeenshire with a majority of 6,748 over the SNP. | |
| BBC news correspondent Catriona Renton said there was an enormous amount of momentum behind the SNP since the independence referendum and Mr Salmond was likely to have a good chance in the Gordon seat. | |
| It had not come as much of a surprise because he had hinted at it on the BBC's Question Time a couple of weeks ago, she added. | |
| 'No coalition' | |
| Mr Salmond was the MP for Banff and Buchan between 1987 and 2010. He stood down as an MP after being chosen as first minister, a role he served between 2007 and 2014. | |
| He used his resignation speech as first minister in the Scottish Parliament to describe the job as the "privilege of my life". | |
| He said: "Scotland has changed - changed utterly and much for the better over the 15 years of this parliament and over the seven years of this government. | |
| "I'm happy to say with every degree of certainty that more change and better days lie ahead for this parliament and for Scotland." | |
| The referendum on Scotland's future saw voters turn out to reject independence by 55% to 45%, on a turnout of almost 85%. | |
| Speaking last week, Mr Salmond said it was unlikely that the SNP would be part of a formal coalition government with Labour at Westminster. | |
| The new SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has ruled out helping the Conservatives if David Cameron fails to win an overall majority of MPs in May. |