THE Tories' "Get Ready For Brexit" advertising campaign has come under fire after a watchdog said it was "not clear" if it had left people better prepared.
The campaign, which cost an estimated £46 million was launched ahead of October 31, when the UK was expected to leave the EU.
However when Brexit was delayed again three days before the deadline, the campaign was pulled.
The SNP's shadow Brexit secretary, Philippa Whitford, called the Tory project a "colossal waste of public money".
READ MORE: Westminster launches £100m 'Get Ready for Brexit' ad campaign
The National Audit Office (NAO) said the adverts had not notably prompted the public to seek out further information about Brexit, only seeing an increase from 32% to 37% as the campaign went on to 34% once it ended.
NAO chief executive Gareth Davies said: "At short notice, the Cabinet Office successfully corralled multiple government departments to work together effectively and launched this complex campaign at great speed.
"However, it is not clear that the campaign resulted in the public being significantly better prepared."
The SNP said the UK Government "must answer" for the use of money.
Whitford (below) commented: “These adverts did little to inform and were another colossal waste of public money, recklessly frittered away on Brexit by a Tory government known for its shambolic failure to manage expensive projects.
“Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU but now Scottish taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill for the spiralling cost of Brexit. The Tory Government must answer for wasting away our money on this vanity project.
“The Chancellor recently claimed that businesses have had three years to prepare for Brexit but it has been impossible to make preparations without a clear destination. Indeed, with only 10 months for negotiations, the threat of No Deal in December remains.
“Scotland’s interests are not being served by Westminster. People in Scotland must have the choice to get away from this Brexit mess and protect our place at the heart of Europe as an equal and independent country.”
Responding to the criticism, the UK Government said the NAO had acknowledged the adverts had pushed members of the public to learn what kind of action they needed to take ahead of Brexit day.
The Cabinet Office went on: "Not undertaking the campaign would have risked significant and unnecessary disruption to businesses and to people's lives."
The UK is now due to leave the EU this Friday at 11pm.
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