A UK-wide investigation into foreign interference in British politics will examine Iranian and Russian attempts to influence the Scottish independence debate. Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander confirmed the expanded scope on Wednesday, following the jailing of a former politician for taking Russian bribes.
The independent review, led by former senior civil servant Philip Rycroft, was launched after Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales, was jailed last month for accepting payments to make pro-Russian statements. The probe is expected to report by March next year.
Alexander told reporters the investigation would examine all foreign actors attempting to influence UK democratic decisions. He pointed to research showing Iranian activity related to Scotland's constitutional future.
Iranian bot activity
The Scottish Secretary highlighted a significant drop in Iranian social media activity promoting Scottish independence after American action against Iran. «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,» he said.
Research has suggested over 1,300 social media users posting pro-independence content between May and June were Iranian bots. The UK Defence Journal reported that dozens of anonymous X accounts advocating Scottish independence went silent after Israeli airstrikes on Iran in June, followed by US strikes later that month, which sparked an internet blackout in the country.
The accounts used Scottish imagery and language while posing as local activists, but transparency data on X revealed they were operated from inside Iran.
Review scope
UK Communities Secretary Steve Reed, speaking in Westminster on Tuesday, condemned Gill's conduct as «a stain on our democracy» that the review aims to remove. He said he expects China and cryptocurrency donations to political parties to be within the review's scope.
Alexander emphasized the government's vigilance: «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.»
Russia has long been suspected of attempting to influence the outcome of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
