Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell has died at the age of 84.

Sir Menzies, or Ming as he was widely known, led the Liberal Democrats from 2006 to 2007 and was the MP for North East Fife at Westminster for 28 years.

In his first career as a sprinter, he held the UK 100m record from 1967 to 1974 and ran in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics – being dubbed The Flying Scotsman.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey described Sir Menzies as “a dedicated public servant and a true Liberal giant”.

He said: “His principled leadership opposing the Iraq War was a mark of his morality, courage and wisdom.

“But more than that, he was an incredibly warm and caring friend and colleague. We will miss him terribly.”

Sir Menzies died peacefully in London following a period of respite care. His grandson was with him.

His family said one of his final days was spent watching the Liberal Democrats Party Conference, and enjoying watching video messages from political friends.

Sir Menzies first stood as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in 1976, but did not win his constituency for 11 years.

He made his name as the party’s foreign affairs spokesman, a position he held for 14 years and was a renowned critic of the Iraq war.

He became a member of the House of Lords in 2015. His official title was Baron Campbell of Pittenweem.

First Minister John Swinney said: “I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Lord Campbell – one of the most distinguished and well-liked political figures of his generation.

“I first got to know him well as a newly-elected MP where he welcomed me and helped me adapt to life in House of Commons. Over the years since, we often worked together on the many issues on which we agreed.”

He said Sir Menzies was “a passionate believer in a better Scotland” but also a strong internationalist – keen to build consensus and find common ground.

“Those entering public service today could learn much from his style – always forthright in speaking up for what he believed in, but never anything other than respectful, courteous and polite to his political opponents,” Swinney said.

“On behalf of the Scottish government I offer my condolences to Lord Campbell’s family. My thoughts today are with them, his Liberal Democrat colleagues and his many friends across the political spectrum and beyond.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said Sir Menzies was one of the “most respected politicians of his generation”.

He said: “The first political thing I ever did was to deliver leaflets for Ming on the morning of his first election to Parliament in 1987.

“He was my MP, he was my mentor and he was my friend. From the Olympic track to the benches of Westminster, his contribution to public life will long be remembered.”

Wendy Chamberlain, current MP for North East Fife, said Sir Menzies “remained a significant figure” in the area.

She added: “His contributions to our communities, to the University of St Andrews, as well as to Scotland and the UK were immeasurable.

“Although he found the passing of his beloved Elspeth difficult, rather than retreat, until the last weeks of his life, he was still travelling to London to contribute in the House of Lords.”

Born Walter Menzies Campbell on 22 May 1941, Sir Menzies was brought up in a Glasgow tenement.

He was educated at Hillhead High School and went on to the University of Glasgow, where he was a contemporary of both John Smith and Donald Dewar studying Law and debating in the union.

He also attended Stanford University in California during the Vietnam War and later became an advocate.

Sir Menzies was called to the Scottish bar in 1968 and made a QC (latterly KC) in 1982. The law gave him a lucrative career and he continued to practise throughout his time in politics.

His wife of more than 50 years, Elspeth, died in June 2023 – he described her as his “constant political companion, always my encouragement and forever my first line of defence”.

Menzies Campbell’s contribution to our politics was far greater than his short spell as party leader suggests.

His was an extremely well informed voice on defence and foreign affairs which was central to the public debate during and after the Iraq war.

He and his late wife Elspeth were the best of political company with a great deal of insight into the Westminster issues and characters of the day.

In many ways Elspeth was more ambitious for her husband than he was for himself. His period as party leader was not a happy one.

He was on the receiving end of a persistent ageism – caricatured as a grandfatherly figure with his best days behind him when compared with rival leaders like Tony Blair and David Cameron.

When appearing on TV for interview he always insisted on wearing a tie because he felt it was what his constituents would expect.

But I knew he’d given in to modernising advisers who wrongly thought they could reinvent his image when one Sunday morning he appeared in our studio in an open-necked shirt. It was not long before he resigned.

It was his wisdom, experience and courtesy that were his greatest strengths and these were undervalued qualities during his time at the top.

The terrorism case against Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been thrown out following a technical error in the way the charge against him was brought.

He was charged in May after allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, in November 2024.

The 27-year-old, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, denied the charge and has described it as political.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told Woolwich Crown Court that the charge against Mr Ó hAnnaidh was “unlawful” and “null”.

The court erupted into applause as the judge handed down the ruling.

As Mr Ó hAnnaidh left the court his parents hugged him and said they were “delighted” it was over.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill has welcomed the ruling.

The case was due to be heard at Westminster Magistrates’ Court but was moved to Woolwich, due to a burst water main.

Hezbollah is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK and it is a crime to express support for them.

During a court appearance on 20 August legal arguments around whether the charge was brought within the six-month time limit were heard.

His defence team were seeking to throw the case out, citing a technical error in the way the charge was brought against Mr Ó hAnnaidh.

An ash tree on a busy Glasgow road has been crowned Tree of the Year 2025 after being nominated by the public as a wildcard entry in the contest.

The Argyle Street Ash was named the winner of the Woodland Trust competition on Thursday after a public vote.

Other contenders included an oak that may have inspired Virginia Woolf and a lime representing peace in Northern Ireland, a nod to this year’s theme of “rooted in culture”.

A panel of experts selected nine trees of differing ages and species for the shortlist, while the public were allowed to choose a 10th option as a wildcard.

The Argyle Street Ash was then put forward by David Treanor – an arborist from Glasgow who has been managing the tree for the past five years.

Mr Treanor pointed to its reference in the 1951 book by journalist James Cowan, from a book called Glasgow’s Treasure Chest, in which he describes the Argyle Street tree as “quite the most graceful ash I have seen”.

The quote hangs framed in the pub opposite the tree, which hosts Gaelic live music events.

He told BBC Scotland News: “There are stories of people’s mothers and fathers meeting underneath the tree, there are people who hail taxis and ask it to be sent to the big tree on Argyle Street – there are so many lovely wee stories about it.

“It was the people’s tree, the only urban tree on the shortlist and people in Glasgow got behind it.”

Anna Perks, the tree equity lead at the Woodland Trust, said it “had been a delight to see the human connection” to the tree be shown during the voting.

She added that it was tied up in local people’s stories in the area.

As the winner of the competition, the ash will now progress to represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year finals in early 2026.

The Glasgow tree narrowly beat the King of Limbs Oak that inspired a Radiohead album, and the photographic Lonely Tree, which sits on the edge of the Llyn Padarn lake in North Wales.

The ancient Lady Jane Grey Oak in Leicester’s Bradgate Park, and a cedar with low-sweeping boughs where The Beatles were photographed at London’s Chiswick House, completed the top five in the rankings.

Mr Treanor said he hoped the win for the Argyle Street Ash would be “a victory for misunderstood urban trees all over the world” and that other urban trees elsewhere would be allowed to remain in place.

The Woodland Trust said the “rooted in culture” theme was chosen to celebrate how trees shape the cultural landscape in literature, music, poetry and art.

Adam Cormack, head of campaigning at the charity, said there had been a great response to the contest.

He added: “Trees really matter to people, and this is clear from the response we’ve seen to the Argyle Street Ash.

“Trees inspire us to write stories and create art, whilst connecting us to cultural legacies and a sense of place.

“We encourage people to notice and enjoy the trees around them, and learn more about how they benefit us – from boosting biodiversity and wellbeing, to mitigating the effects of climate change.”

Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, which supported the competition, said the Glasgow tree was a worthy winner.

She said: “These trees, rooted in culture, show how valued they are by their communities, and the significant importance they have in our wider cultural history.

“What a worthy winner the Argyle Street Ash is.”

2025 is the second year in a row that a Scottish tree has taken the prize – last year the Skipinnish Oak in Lochaber came first in the vote.

Prior winners include a sweet chestnut tree in Wrexham’s Acton Park, an ancient yew tree at Waverley Abbey, the Allerton oak tree in Calderstones Park in Liverpool and Nellie’s Tree, also known as the Love Tree, in West Yorkshire.