Alex Salmond was today back to speak in the Commons for the first time since losing his seat as a SNP MP in 2017.
The former First Minister, who now leads Alba, was appearing before the Commons Scottish Affairs to give evidence to their inquiry on relations between the Scottish and UK Government over the 25 years of devolution.
As he revealed to the Herald on Sunday at the weekend, he told MPs his best working relationship was with David Cameron's government in the lead up to the independence referendum in 2014. In contrast his worst was with Tony Blair's while the relationship improved when Gordon Brown succeeded Mr Blair as Prime Minister.

Here are five key moments from the committee hearing today.

1. Bitter exchanges with Scottish Conservative leader and Moray MP Douglas Ross
During questions, Mr Ross pressed Mr Salmond on the record of the SNP governments under his leadership asking him about the delivery of two ferries being built in Port Glasgow, on pupils's education performance and on drugs deaths.

The Herald: Former First Minister Alex Salmond giving evidence on Tuesday to the House of Commons's Scottish Affairs Committee.  Photo PA.


Mr Salmond defended his record on education and said the issue of drugs deaths was appalling.
But he took issue with Mr Ross over ferries noting he had not been FM when the contracts were signed or the Ferguson's yard nationalised.
"I mean, you know, it's people like me who are looking back over the last 20 years who can get their dates mixed up. You're meant to be on the spot and on the ball. Two parliaments have been quite exhausting going back and forth."
Mr Ross retorted: "Well fortunately you don't have that problem any more since you're not sitting in either."

2. On Nicola Sturgeon and her chief of staff Liz Lloyd
Labour MP Michael Shanks brought the discussion around to how he would have led the Scottish Government during Covid if he had been First Minister.
Mr Salmond replied: "I would not have let that person anywhere near being a senior advisor. The person you are talking about is Liz Lloyd.

The Herald: Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, pictured at the Committee, clashed with former First Minister Alex Salmond as he gave evidence to MPs.  Photo PA.

"It struck me as one of the most revealing thing I saw in [her evidence to the UK Covid Inquiry] is amid all the missing Whatsapp messages one message which somehow managed to be miraculously saved was the one that referred to Boris Johnson as '*** clown'."

3. No policy of deletion when he was First Minister
Mr Shanks pressed Mr Salmond on his government's policy of information retention following the revelations over deleted Whatspps by his successor.
Mr Salmond said: "Well, there was no policy for deletion as I've already told you, and I was surprised to hear John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon say that there was or they had been advised. 
"And who knows maybe a civil servant did say that, not to my knowledge. There was certainly no policy in my administration for deletion of messages on the basis that we heard during the Covid inquiry.
"I myself did not use in formal messaging at all because I felt I had a private office and that was what I should do. I felt the best form of communication and in terms of inter governmental relations...was on the phone or in person, which is why I wanted to re establish the the JMC committees because I thought you could get enormous amount more done in a room, talking to people and explaining your concerns and you would and sending endless cross letters or memos to each other." 

4. Foreign Office fear

Mr Salmond has questioned why the Foreign Office is “so petrified” by meetings between First Minister Humza Yousaf and foreign leaders.
In one of his first acts as Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron wrote to the Scottish Government to rebuke the current First Minister after meetings – including with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – without an official from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) present.
But asked about the issues between the two governments in the past year, Mr Salmond said: “Why we’ve got to this situation where the Foreign Office are so petrified of what Humza Yousaf might say to the Prime Minister of Iceland, I have got absolutely no idea.”
He added: “It is a self defeating business … you can’t stop Humza Yousaf believing what he does about Gaza, if indeed he was discussing Gaza, as opposed to climate change.”

5. Tony Blair disinterest

Mr Salmond said that during the six or seven weeks when he was FM and Tony Blair PM the two men never spoke.
"It was six, seven weeks when I co-existed with Prime Minister Blair...he didn't speak to me at all," he told the Committee."I didn't have a single conversation with him over that period of time. And I actually believe and I'll substantiate this.. that the the key reason for the breakdown of the inter governmental committees was the attitude of the then Prime Minister. I think he was totally disinterested in the mechanics of devolution."