The SNP used a taxpayer-funded “mini embassy” in Brussels to distribute a new leaflet to EU member states explaining why an independent Scotland should be welcomed into the bloc.
The Telegraph can reveal that the Scottish Government’s most senior “diplomatic” civil servant recently wrote a letter to EU countries and institutions highlighting the plan.
Martin Johnson, the SNP executive’s EU director at the Scottish Assembly office in Brussels, said the document set out “our offer to the EU as a possible member state”.
In a joint appeal attack, he argued that a separate Scotland should be granted entry because it would be “well placed to contribute to the EU’s common social justice agenda and the quest for a fairer and greener society”.
The officer also said an independent Scotland should be granted membership because of its “renewable energy, research, development and innovation, our world-class colleges and universities and our vibrant culture”.
But the Scottish Conservatives argued Humza Yousaf’s government should not use public money to encourage the breakup of the UK on the world stage. Foreign affairs and the constitution belong to Westminster.
Cabinet Secretary Simon Case said the use of taxpayer-funded UK civil servants to try to divide the country would be “unusual and somewhat worrying” in 2023.
In December Lord Cameron threatened to close all of the Scottish Government’s “mini embassies” abroad after Mr Yousaf met face-to-face with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the Gaza crisis.
The Foreign Secretary said it was crucial that “we speak with one voice to the international community” and threatened to withdraw the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) support for SNP ministers’ trips abroad.
The Scottish Government’s international offices are in Brussels, while British embassies are located in key locations such as Paris, Berlin and Washington DC. SNP ministers insisted their focus was on boosting trade and Scotland’s reputation abroad.
But Scottish Conservative Party chairman Craig Hoy said: “This is another clear example of the SNP Government selling their obsession with independence abroad, wasting taxpayers’ money.
“The function of the Scottish Government’s overseas embassies should be to promote Scottish industry and exports; Their use to promote SNP propaganda papers is completely wrong.”
The Scottish Government published the report on 17 November 2023, the seventh in a series of documents aimed at creating a new prospectus for independence.
The report outlined “what Scotland can offer the EU” as a member state, including “contributing to the EU’s core values” and contributing to the bloc’s security “by leveraging our strategic position at the northern tip of Europe”.
The draft also promised that an independent Scotland would work “with EU partners on immigration and asylum policy” and welcome artists from the Continent “with the return of free movement”.
On the day of publication, Mr Johnson sent an email with a link to the report to “officials from member states, third countries, regions and EU institutions”.
The email, obtained by The Telegraph using Freedom of Information, said the report “sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for an independent Scotland in the EU, with economic, social and cultural benefits for the people of Scotland, as well as our proposal for Scotland.” It was stated that “summarized. “We see the EU as a potential member country of the future.”
Mr Johnson said a summary of the article was “available in all official EU languages” and provided a link.
He also included a separate link to other independence documents in the series, including an article promising that an independent Scotland would immediately revert to maroon passports even while outside the EU.
“I look forward to continuing positive and constructive relations with all our European and other partners and friends,” Mr Johnson said.
A UK Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government must focus on the issues it is responsible for and that people in Scotland care about. “This is not the time to talk about distracting constitutional amendments.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “This document sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for an independent Scotland in the EU, outlining the economic, social and cultural benefits for the people of Scotland, as well as our bid for the EU as a possible future member .and this notification was sent as part of Scotland House Brussels’ regular engagement with EU partners.”
The FCDO has been approached for comment.
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