Scottish Parliament

Alex Salmond told MSPs that "simple arithmetic" showed the SNP gained more councillors than Labour and that his party could "celebrate that political success" in the local government elections, during first minister's questions on 10 May 2012.

Mr Salmond said his party got more than 500,000 votes in the council election and Labour got 487,000, saying this showed the SNP was "truly the national party of Scotland".

The first minister was responding to questions from Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont on what lessons he had learned from the recent election.

Ms Lamont said in the last year Mr Salmond's party had seen its support go down a quarter.

She said the SNP's "obsession with the referendum, delay of the referendum and attempts to skew the referendum" was not popular with the electorate.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said that anyone in the rest of the UK with a grandparent from another country in the EU would not have to pay tuition fees in Scotland.

Ms Davidson called on the first minister to clarify the "shambles" this forced on the budgets of Scotland's universities.

Mr Salmond said it was an "imagined calamity" and Ms Davidson's concerns had not happened.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie called on the first minister to reaffirm his support of equal marriage, following statements in favour of its introduction by David Cameron and Barrack Obama.

Mr Salmond said his personal view was clear and he had not changed his mind, and that the consultation process on the issue would take place in the "proper and usual manner".