The SNP has come under fire after using a taxpayer-funded “mini embassy” in Brussels to pitch an independent Scotland as a future member.
The Scottish Government’s most senior “diplomatic” civil servant recently wrote to EU countries and institutions highlighting a paper laying out its vision for an independent Scotland joining the bloc.
Martin Johnson, the SNP administration’s EU director in its Scotland House office in the EU’s de facto capital, said the document set out “our offer to the EU as a prospective member state”, The Telegraph reports.
But the Scottish Tories accused Humza Yousaf’s government of wasting taxpayers’ money to push for the break-up of the UK.
Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: “This is another clear-cut example of the SNP Government squandering taxpayers’ money selling their independence obsession abroad.
“The function of the Scottish Government’s overseas embassies ought to be to promote Scottish industries and exports; it’s completely wrong for them to be used to promote SNP propaganda papers.”
The Scottish Government published its blueprint for an independent Scotland to join the EU in November as part of a series of papers on independence.
On the day it was released, Mr Johnson sent an email to “officials from member states, third countries, regions and EU institutions” that contained a link to the report.
He said: “I look forward to continuing a positive and constructive engagement with all of our European and other partners and friends.”
It comes after Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron threatened to shut down all the Scottish Government’s “mini embassies” abroad after Humza Yousaf met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Cop 28 without an official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO).
A UK Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government should be focused on the issues that it is responsible for and which people in Scotland care about. This is not the time to be talking about distracting constitutional change.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “This paper sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for an independent Scotland in the EU, outlining the economic, societal and cultural benefits for the people of Scotland, as well as our offer to the EU as a prospective future member state, and this notification was sent as part of Scotland House Brussels’ regular engagement with EU partners.”
