Scotsman

http://news.scotsman.com/

Connery is special dinner guest of new Scottish First Minister

30 June, 2007

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond hosted a lavish party for his party's most prominent supporter last night.

The SNP leader threw the bash for Sir Sean Connery at his Bute House residence, at which some of the country's richest and most well-known faces also appeared.

Among the guests at Mr Salmond's New Town home were Hibs owner Sir Tom Farmer and Stagecoach boss Brian Souter - both of whom have given healthy cash donations to the party.

Rangers tycoon David Murray also made an appearance.

The VIP event was scheduled to precede the official opening of the new parliament at Holyrood.

Sir Sean is a well known supporter of the party and independence.

When the party was elected in a tight battle on May 3 he hailed it as an "amazing victory".

He said at the time: "What I think got people going behind Alex Salmond and the SNP was that they really conducted an excellent campaign."

Mr Salmond was reported to have insisted the occasion, at which presiding officer Alex Fergusson was also in attendance, was not a party-political one.