Russian and Iranian interference in Scottish politics to be examined by new Westminster probe
Attempts by Iran and Russia to interfere in Scottish politics will be examined as part of an investigation ordered by Keir Starmer, it has been confirmed.
Douglas Alexander, the Scottish Secretary, said it was "right and appropriate" the UK-wide probe looked at foreign governments who looked to influence the debate on independence.
It comes after the UK Government ordered a review into foreign financial interference in British politics in response to what it called the "shocking" case of Nathan Gill.
The former leader of Reform in Wales was jailed last month after admitting to taking bribes for pro-Russian interviews and speeches when he was an MEP.
Steve Reed, the UK Communities Secretary said the Government must "learn the lessons" from the case so "this can never happen again".
The review will be led by former senior civil Philip Rycroft and will report back in March.
Russia has long been suspected of attempting to influence the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, while the Iranian government has more recently been accused of spreading propaganda on social media.
Asked if the inquiry would cover reports of foreign interference in Scottish politics, Alexander said yesterday: "Yes, there has been a lot of research in recent years, and there was a lot Iranian activity in relation to the constitutional future of Scotland.
"When the Americans took the action they did, we saw a significant reduction in the number of Iranian bots promoting Scottish independence on Scottish social media sites.
"So it's right and appropriate that the investigation being undertaken looks at all actors trying to influence democratic decisions being made here in the UK."
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Alexander added: "Of course, the UK Government needs to be vigilant on behalf of the UK public to stop hostile actors seeking to influence our democratic processes."
The Record previously reported how several anonymous social media accounts used to routinely share pro-Scottish independence messages were linked to a "coordinated influence operation based in Iran".
A recent update to X, previously known as Twitter, now allows users to check where in the world an account is based. One profile, which claimed to be based in Glasgow but has since been deleted, was found to connect to X through the "Iran Android App".
The same profile, which regularly posted about Scottish independence, previously declared in June: "The Supreme Leader of Iran stands as a symbol of dignity while others speak only in threats".
The takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk in 2022 saw a flood of engagement farming profiled after users were allowed to make money from their viral posts.
A report from the UK Defence Journal said the transparency data "provided clear proof that a cluster of prominent Scottish independence accounts on X were being operated from inside Iran while posing as Scottish activists".
It added: "A handful of accounts that appeared at first glance to be ordinary pro-independence users.
"They used Scottish images, familiar language and local references but their technical footprints raised questions. The accounts often showed links to Iranian propaganda points, and all of those under close observation fell silent at the exact moment Iran suffered a nationwide blackout in June."
Ben Nimmo, a defence analyst for US think-tank Atlantic Council, previously warned that "pro-Kremlin accounts demonstrably boosted" allegations of fraud following the independence referendum.
He said: "The anger and disappointment felt by many Yes voters were entirely sincere, and are not the subject of this analysis; however, those sentiments were fanned by pro-Kremlin trolls, in a manner characteristic of Russian influence operations."
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