'Missing' Stone of Destiny chip found in SNP HQ should be moved says MP Pete Wishart

A piece of the Stone of Destiny believed to have been ‘missing’ should be moved to reunite with the genuine artefact, an MP has said.

The stone, also known as the Stone of Scone, is to be donated to a new museum in Perth but recent government information revealed former First Minister Alex Salmond received a fragment of the artefact as a gift.

Scottish Cabinet papers say a chip of the stone was given to Salmond by SNP co-founder John MacCormick’s son, Prof Sir Neil MacCormick, in 2008.

In 1950, four students, backed and funded by John MacCormick, broke into Westminster Abbey and stole the artefact in a bid to “repatriate” it to Scotland.

The fragment was feared to be missing until it was discovered in a cupboard at SNP HQ by party activist Stewart Duncan, who told the National newspaper he was ‘shocked’ to see the chip in a plastic box.

The SNP say the fragment’s provenance has not been completely established but that it had never been considered ‘lost’.

SNP MP Pete Wishart, who represents Perth and North Perthshire, is calling for the piece to be reunited with the full artefact when it moves from Edinburgh Castle later this year.

Mr Wishart said: “The Stone of Scone is undoubtedly one of Scotland’s most iconic artefacts, and its arrival at Perth Museum will mark the first time it has returned to its home region in over 700 years.

“This will be a huge moment for Perthshire, not just symbolically, but economically too.”

He added: “In order to maximise the opportunity that the museum presents for the city, and to honour the stone’s long awaited return to the region, it is important for it to be displayed in its entirety.

“As such, I very much hope that the missing piece can be given to the museum ahead of its opening in March.”