THE Scotland Office has been accused of breaking rules over communications during the pre-election period by sending out a social media advert attacking independence the day before polling day.
SNP MP Deidre Brock made the claim when she quizzed Alister Jack at the Scottish Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons. She pointed to a written answer she had received from ministers assuring her that “purdah” rules ahead of polling day on May 6 would be maintained.
However, she then added that on May 5 she had been sent a social media advert from the Scotland Office underlining its message about the UK being “stronger and safer together”.
“I received a written answer recently about the astronomical social media spend on your office,” she told Jack on Thursday. “You closed that answer by saying that there would be no more adverts before the Holyrood election and then you sent me some ads on Twitter before polling day. I can screenshot one if you need to see it. Can you explain that breach of purdah?”
READ MORE: Did Unionist tactical voting ads stop SNP from winning key target seats?
Jack, who was giving evidence remotely, said he was unaware of the advert Brock had raised and promised to look into the issue. But he added: “You may well be right ... [The UK] Government carried, Scotland questions carried on in the House of Commons, those things happened during purdah and they were very political in some of the questions asked and answers given.
“Whether or not it is a breach of purdah that is a matter you are very welcome to take up.”
Jack then asked whether the advert was related to the Covid pandemic. Brock replied that it was not and read out the text from the advert she had received. She said: “It was all about we are stronger and safer when we work together. Scotland plays a vital role in the combined defence and security of the UK and then a video.”
Brock continued: “That was the day before the election. I realise purdah doesn’t seem as strongly conformed to as it used to be. I’m thinking of the 2014 independence referendum in particular.”
Senior civil servant Laurence Rockey, director of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, said he would look into the specific case.
“Social media spend and public information campaigns are an increasingly important tool for both governments and governments across the world as people get their information in different ways,” he said. “We certainly from a civil service perspective take the pre-election period rules very seriously.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: "These tweets were not published until May 7, so any discussion about purdah rules is irrelevant."
Meanwhile, another SNP MP has written to the Electoral Commission over concerns that groups spending thousands on pro-Union ads flouted online advert rules in the run-up to last week’s election.
It was revealed earlier this week that in the days before the Scottish Parliament election third-party campaigns, with no clear details of where their funding comes from, spent tens of thousands of pounds on digital ads pushing Scots to vote tactically.
READ MORE: Electoral Commission urged to respond to pro-Union ad concerns by SNP MP
Brendan O’Hara (above) called on the Electoral Commission, the independent election regulator, for a “comprehensive response”, saying the ads “may be contrary to election law and regulations”. An openDemocracy report highlighted groups that had pushed money into social media adverts with a lack of transparency of where the funds came from.
Writing to the Electoral Commission, O’Hara said: “I would be very grateful for a comprehensive response to these concerns at the earliest opportunity. It is vital the electorate has full confidence in the electoral process and that open democracy and accountability can be demonstrated.”
The Electoral Commission did not confirm whether an investigation would be launched into the adverts, but a spokesperson did say the commission had “received a letter from Mr O’Hara and will respond in due course”.
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