The Scottish Government has been criticised for working “in-step with the Foreign Office” over a controversial meeting with an Israeli official.
Emails seen by The Ferret reveal that civil servants at Holyrood urged external affairs secretary Angus Robertson to meet with Israel’s deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky after consulting with UK Government officials.
A Scottish Government official had stressed the importance of being “on the same page” as Westminster ahead of the meeting, the emails show.
The meeting, on August 8 last year, prompted criticism from senior SNP and opposition figures after a picture was circulated by Grudsky on social media.
At the time, the late former first minister Alex Salmond said the meeting called into question whether both Robertson and first minister John Swinney could continue in office.
Commenting on The Ferret’s findings, Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said it was “concerning” that Scottish ministers had aligned their foreign policy with Westminster, while Christine Grahame, one of the SNP’s longest-serving MSPs, blasted Robertson’s “lack of judgment”.
The Scottish Government said it was “normal” for officials to consult the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) when ministers are meeting international contacts, “given their central role in UK foreign relations”.
The emails were released under freedom of information law. The Scottish Government is still refusing to publish the minutes of the meeting between Robertson and Grudsky despite an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner by The Ferret.
This confirms why people were appalled at Angus Robertson’s actions. This worsens an already bad situation.
Kenny MacAskill, Alba Party
The Scottish Government’s international relations team wrote to the FCDO almost a month before the meeting, the emails reveal.
They said they had received a request “for the new Deputy Head of Mission to see the FM and Cabinet Secretaries”.
Stating that they were inclined to “recommend that the Cabinet Secretary accepts the meeting”, they requested “a briefing on the visit”. A Foreign Office civil servant said Whitehall could provide the “latest briefing lines”.
A Scottish Government official replied: “Yes please to the lines – I’m keen we’re on the same page.”
In public, SNP ministers have emphasised their different attitude to the Gaza war, calling for a ceasefire before either Labour or the Conservatives backed the demand. Swinney wrote to both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer last May demanding that the UK recognises a Palestinian state.
Another email stated that SNP special advisers had “asked what the FCDO advice was on these matters”, with a civil servant replying: “On meeting the Deputy Head of Mission, they’re relaxed. It’s a normal diplomatic meeting. I’ll ask them for all the latest lines in advance of any meeting.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said: “The Scottish Government has rightly taken a different position from Westminster on the killing, and has actively and publicly condemned Israel’s actions and demanded a ceasefire, which made the meeting even more shocking.
She added: “The UK government has armed and supported the Israeli bombardment right from the start, so it is concerning that the Scottish Government worked in-step with the Foreign Office to get the go-ahead for such a meeting to take place.”
The emails reveal that Swinney’s private office was closely involved in planning the meeting – and responding to the backlash – throughout. International relations officials even discussed tweeting a picture of the event with Swinney’s press adviser Jack Middleton. The official asked: “Just to check before I publish tweet – did we get the pic from embassy? If not, I’ll issue without.”
Alba Party acting leader Kenny MacAskill, who served as justice secretary under Salmond, said: “This confirms why people were appalled at Angus Robertson’s actions. This worsens an already bad situation.
“No wonder the Foreign Office were relaxed when both Tory and Labour administrations have been colluding with Israel. Scotland should have been nowhere near Israel given the genocide they are perpetrating.”
The emails show that officials were keen to “proactively” issue a press statement about the meeting, but were asked by the Israeli Embassy to hold off doing so for four days. They acknowledged there was a “small chance that news of the deputy ambassador’s presence in Scotland may leak in the meantime”, but appeared to be unprepared for the scale of the backlash.
Robertson initially hailed the meeting as a success, with a government spokesperson saying the pair had discussed “areas of mutual interest, including culture, renewable energy, and engaging the country’s respective diasporas” as well as calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
But he later apologised, saying the meeting should have been “strictly limited to the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the appalling loss of life in the region”.
Christine Grahame, a former deputy presiding officer at Holyrood, said: “Whatever these exchanges disclose, the meeting was not about the dreadful plight of civilians in Gaza but about trade. The fact that the UK endorsed it says as much about the UK as it does about Angus Robertson’s lack of judgement.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The meeting request from the Israeli UK deputy ambassador was accepted on the basis it would provide an opportunity to convey the Scottish Government’s consistent and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. This position was made clear by the cabinet secretary for external affairs during the meeting. Since this meeting there has been no further ministerial engagement with the Government of Israel.”
They added: “The Scottish Government makes its own decision on whether to accept and how to manage meetings based on the available information.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We remain committed to building a more collaborative relationship with the Scottish Government. However, it is important that the UK speaks with a single voice to international partners.
“A resolution to this conflict has been a priority since day one for this government. We continue to push for all phases of the ceasefire deal to be implemented in full, the release of all hostages, and much more aid to enter Gaza.”
Featured image thanks to Scottish Government/Flickr
