AN Alba Party candidate has hit out at the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) in a row over its Robert the Bruce campaign video, The National can reveal.

Voiced by Braveheart and Robert the Bruce actor Angus Macfadyen, the campaign clip includes drone footage of the statue of Bruce on his horse at Bannockburn.

That site is owned by NTS, which says it was not asked for permission to film there – and would have refused if it was asked.

The heritage charity, which is not aligned with any party, says it does not allow political groups to make use of its properties.

But Neale Hanvey MP (below) – who is standing for Alba in Mid-Scotland and Fife – called that “breathtaking arrogance”, saying: “You have to ask just who do these people speak for? It certainly isn’t the long-suffering staff and members of the National Trust who have had to endure such decrepit leadership for far too long.

The National:

“The National Trust should be grateful for the publicity they are getting with the video receiving over 300,000 hits on social media since it was launched yesterday. This video brings Scotland’s history to life and shows its continuing relevance to the present day and the crossroads at which Scotland finds itself.

“The historic site of the Battle of Bannockburn is not their asset as they claim, it is an important part of Scotland’s heritage which they have been tasked with looking after. There is absolutely no requirement to seek their permission in obtaining drone footage and the fact they think so just goes to show how out of touch and divorced from reality they have become. Next they will be claiming that the sky belongs to them too.

READ MORE: Robert the Bruce actor Angus Macfadyen stars in video supporting Alba

“The National Trust for Scotland should focus on protecting Scotland’s heritage rather than making ill-judged interventions during an election campaign which calls into question their own political impartiality. Now, as in the past, it is the people of Scotland who will make the difference – not out-of-touch institutions who have forgotten the real reason why they are meant to exist.”

NTS said: “The parkland around the monuments at Bannockburn is subject to open access legislation. In addition, there are rights to drone overflights subject to the restrictions within the Air Navigation Orders. We request that consent is given before drones are taken off or landed at our properties.”

It added: “We can confirm that we were neither approached nor did we provide permission for this footage to be taken. The Trust does not support or have any affiliations with any political party or politician – in a pre-election period it is our policy not to give permission for our properties to feature in hustings events and activities and, if asked, we would have declined permission for the drone footage to be used in this way.”