SNP MP Alex Salmond was barred from a British Airways flight after booking the ticket under the alias James T Kirk - the name of the starship Enterprise captain in Star Trek.

The former Scottish first minister was stopped from boarding at Heathrow because the name on his ticket didn't match that on his passport.

He has apparently been using the alias for years for security reasons and because he counts himself as a keen "Trekkie" but admits that he may have to change it now that his cover has been blown.

Apparently the staff at London City Airport and Gatwick know that he uses the name and regularly let him through but those at Heathrow were far stricter with the rules when he tried to head back up to Scotland after a week at the Commons earlier this summer.

Salmond told the Mail on Sunday that he was eventually allowed to board after making a series of "frantic phone calls".

It was all sorted out. I just wanted BA to 'Beam me up, Scotty'.