Alex Salmond finally admitted the worst-kept secret in Scottish politics yesterday, saying he’ll stand in 2015 with a view to “rumble up Westminster.”

The former first minister is seeking the SNP nomination for Gordon, where a majority of voters rejected independence in September’s referendum.

Confirming his long-trailed return to London, he said he found it “impossible to stand on the sidelines.”

Mr Salmond said he would not wish to replace MP Angus Robertson as SNP group leader at Westminster, but he would seek “to have a role in negotiating the progress for Scotland which would arise from a powerful group of SNP MPs and our allies.”

Hitting out at the Smith Commission’s plans for new powers for Scotland, he said: “This is not fiscal autonomy, it is not devo-max, it is not home rule, it is certainly not near-federalism.

“That is not the fault of Robert Smith. It is just a fact of life that the Westminster parties will concede as little as possible.”

Mr Salmond said insisted only a “strong group of SNP MPs will have the capacity to rumble up Westminster.”

And referring to Gordon Brown’s decision to stand down as an MP, he said: “It is also clear that the man who said he would stand as guarantor of that near-federalism has now ridden off into the political sunset, leaving us with a showdown with the three Westminster amigos.”

Gordon in Aberdeenshire is currently held by Lib Dem deputy leader Sir Malcolm Bruce MP, who is standing down at the general election in May next year.

Bruce, who won a majority of 6,748 over the SNP in 2010, said: “People in Gordon rejected the first minister’s independence plans overwhelmingly at the referendum.

“I am sure that they would be delighted to have the chance to reject him again in May. Bring it on.”

The Lib Dems’ candidate for the constituency Christine Jardine said she intended to be a “strong voice for all the people of Gordon.”