The UK government has confirmed that attempts by Iran and Russia to interfere in Scottish politics will be examined as part of a Westminster-ordered investigation. Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander stated it was 'right and appropriate' for the probe to look at foreign governments seeking to influence the debate on Scottish independence.
The review, led by former senior civil servant Philip Rycroft, is expected to report back in March. It was ordered in response to the case of Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform in Wales, who was jailed for taking bribes for pro-Russian interviews. Communities Secretary Steve Reed said the government must 'learn the lessons' to prevent such incidents.
Russia has long been suspected of attempting to influence the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, while Iran has more recently been accused of spreading propaganda on social media. Alexander noted that US actions led to a 'significant reduction' in Iranian bots promoting Scottish independence on Scottish social media sites.
Reports have linked anonymous pro-independence accounts to a coordinated influence operation based in Iran. Transparency data from X (formerly Twitter) showed accounts posing as Scottish activists were operated from inside Iran, often promoting Iranian propaganda points. These accounts fell silent during a nationwide blackout in Iran in June.
Defence analyst Ben Nimmo warned that pro-Kremlin accounts had 'demonstrably boosted' allegations of fraud after the 2014 referendum, fanning sincere sentiments among Yes voters. The probe aims to address such foreign interference in UK democratic processes.
