ALEX Salmond has been confirmed as the SNP's General Election candidate in Gordon.

Salmond, 60, announced in December that he was applying for the candidacy, paving the way for a return to Westminster after a five-year absence.

At the 2010 General Election, the SNP won six seats to Labour's 41 in Scotland, but with its support soaring after the referendum, polls now suggest the SNP will overtake Labour on May 7.

With another hung parliament likely, Salmond has said a large SNP group could support a Labour government in return for greater devolution.

Gordon, which partly overlaps Salmond's Holyrood seat of Aberdeenshire East, is currently held by the retiring LibDem MP Sir Malcolm Bruce.