Nicola Sturgeon has told Tory MPs to “stop peddling fake news” after a number expressed outrage over reports she had “eradicated” the Union Jack from Scottish Government buildings.
Newspapers, including the Telegraph and the Scottish Daily Mail, ran front-page stories on Wednesday claiming the SNP leader had ordered the move in time for the Queen’s birthday.
The front page of tomorrow’s Daily Telegraph: ‘Sturgeon hauls down union flag’ #tomorrowspaperstodaypic.twitter.com/rNuiXs6eHP
Nicola Sturgeon bans the Union flag on Queen’s birthday and 14 other Royal occasions. pic.twitter.com/961H6PmhYN
The Telegraph claimed the SNP had demanded the Union Jack should only be displayed on Remembrance Sunday meaning “the flag will fly on just one day a year rather than the 15 times it was hoisted last year”.
It also made a point of comparing this to the “rainbow gay pride flag, which is scheduled to be flown four times to commemorate a range of LGBT events”.
Several Tory MPs were quoted expressing outrage at the reports.
The SNP lost the referendum and they seem to be forgetting this crucial point. Jacob Rees-Mogg
It is insulting to Scottish people to pretend that somehow Scotland is not within the UK. Iain Duncan Smith
The SNP clearly thinks they won the Scottish referendum and therefore can remove the Union flag when they should be removing the European Union flag. Andrew Bridgen
Sturgeon and her predecessor, Alex Salmond, on Wednesday hit back at the allegations, branding them “nonsense” and “piffle”.
The guidelines quoted in the articles as being ‘new’ had in fact been in place since 2010, they said.
What a load of complete piffle from The Mail, The Telegrapgh et al. The hoisting of Lion Rampant had nothing whatsoever to do with @NicolaSturgeon. I changed the policy on flag flying back in 2010 after an audience with Her Majesty the Queen at Balmoral the previous year. https://t.co/edOMoEuV06
January 24, 2018
This is nonsense. It has been the practice to fly the Lion Rampant from government buildings on Royal occasions since 2010. There has been no change in policy or practice since then. https://t.co/Hp6H6Ytfyb
January 23, 2018
The confusion seems to have arisen as published civil service guidance has only recently been amended to reflect the change.
4/ yes, the civil service recently decided to update the published guidance, but simply to ensure that it accurately reflected the long standing practice – the underlying policy has not changed. And why would it?
January 24, 2018
This was lost on a number of Twitter users as well as Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson.
The SNP government should be more concerned with raising standards, not lowering flags. Dismal stuff.
Sturgeon, referencing Theresa May’s recent announcement of a special unit to tackle fake news, wasn’t standing for it.
Memo to PM’s new ‘fake news’ unit. The first line of defence against fake news is for your own politicians to stop peddling it. https://t.co/TTaeV50pDE
January 24, 2018
The British Government’s new unit will counter disinformation and “fake news” pushed by foreign powers
May has previously accused Russia of meddling in elections and its state media of planting fake stories and photo-shopped images in an attempt to undermine western institutions.
Russia denies interfering in foreign elections, including the 2016 Brexit referendum, and the US presidential race in the same year.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the new national security communications unit would build on existing capabilities and would be tasked with “combating disinformation by state actors and others”.