THE Scotland Office spent £50,000 of public money telling Scots that trade with the rest of the UK is worth four times more than trade with Europe, documents reveal.

Adverts championing the importance of cross-border trade were targeted at Facebook, Google and Twitter users as the UK Government officials moved to “ensure the public are equipped with the facts” on the value of doing business with “barrier-free” markets in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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The £47,395 spend was broken down in response to Freedom of Information requests filed with the Scotland Office in March 2017, when the adverts were live. One of those enquiring, who yesterday presented relevant documents to The National, told the department: “You are advertising the benefits of a union we are already part of to the Scottish people.”

Almost £40,000 of the money went to Facebook, with around £4000 buying pay-per-click ads on Google and around £4500 with Twitter.

The material showed two trucks bearing EU and UK flags and quoted Scottish Government figures detailing the £49.8 billion value of trade with other British countries, compared with the equivalent European figures of £12.3bn.

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In its response, the Scotland Office said the cash had been allocated by the Cabinet Office, which jointly “proposed and approved” the campaign.

The Scotland Office said: “Research shows many people do not understand the importance of the trading relationship between Scotland and the rest of the UK – which is worth four times that of trade with the European Union and supports four times as many Scottish jobs.

“This campaign addresses that, informing the public and encouraging Scottish businesses to take full advantage of our biggest, barrier-free market.

“The UK government has a responsibility to ensure the public are equipped with the facts.”

The news, which comes in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, follows accusations published by The Ferret yesterday that Scottish Office civil servants had used public money to manipulate voters through Facebook, with one pre-general election promotional push targeted only at small businesses around Gretna – part of the Dumfriesshire seat of David Mundell, Scotland Secretary.

Others centred around St Andrews Day, Burns Night and the Budget were directed at members of the armed forces, while another on devolution was directed at women.

All ran in the 12 months until the end of June last year.

The findings also include the spring 2017 trade campaign – and show that those interested in Scottish independence were left out, along with those earning more than £30,000 and anyone aged above 35 with a university education.

Information provided to The National in a separate Freedom of Information request shows the Scotland Office alone spent £11,745 on social media advertising in March last year alone – all but £200 of which went to Facebook.

Edinburgh North and Leith MP Deidre Brock has called for explanations on how and why certain groups were targeted, stating: “There’s a lot of real concern around about the activities of Cambridge Analytica and other firms like it and how much they interfere with our democracy, our elections and who has access to ministers. The least we should expect from David Mundell and the rest of the UK Government is that they try to be honest about what they’re up to.”

However, the UK Government said it is operating along established lines. A spokesperson said: “As is established best practice we also select certain audiences – for instance, parents about childcare costs – to help ensure that the right people know about the UK Government support available for them.

“This is done for clear, specific reasons and never involves targeting anyone for party political purposes. Staff adhere to propriety, social media and spending guidelines at all times and ensure value for taxpayers’ money.”