12 Jul 2017
The Scottish Government reinstated the website domain name it used during the 2014 referendum, despite polls showing no increased support for separation.
It has emerged the rights for website scotreferendum.com were updated last October by civil servants – at taxpayers’ expense – just three days after the SNP conference.
The Scottish Conservatives said this was further evidence the SNP continued to obsess about independence, even when the First Minister claimed she respected the result and her priorities lay elsewhere.
The domain name was first registered in January 2012 by the Scottish Government, shortly after the UK Government confirmed it would grant a section 30 order for a referendum on independence to be held.
This was then renewed on October 17, 2016, just two days after the party’s autumn conference in Glasgow.
The website itself, despite being owned by the Scottish Government, contains only a link to a thankyou message from Nicola Sturgeon to Yes voters following the 2014 defeat.
Scottish Conservative MP Ross Thomson said:
“It’s clear SNP ministers came home from conference and made getting the separation website up-and-running again a priority.
“The conference finished on the Saturday, and that renewal took place on the Monday – it was literally the first thing they did when they got back to the office.
“This is despite polls clearly showing no public appetite for the break-up of Britain, and the First Minister herself stating it was matters like education that were her priority.
“It goes to show the SNP can never be trusted on this issue.
“The break-up of Britain always has, and always will, be its one and only true cause.”
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