ALBA’S advert lampooning Rishi Sunak as a vampire who has glutted on Scotland’s oil has been rejected by a media giant due to “slandering” the Tory leader.
Global, which runs outdoor advertising across the UK as well as radio stations including Capital, Heart, and LBC, said it would not run Alba’s advert.
In an email reported by the BBC, Global said: "The only political messages we allow to run are basic messages such as vote for us, but not when a party is slandering someone."
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Chris McEleny, Alba’s general secretary, said the rejection meant the media giant was entering “a potentially dangerous place”.
He said: "If a company accepts political advertising we are entering a potentially dangerous place if they then want to pick and choose which political messages it supports and which it wishes to censure because it doesn't agree with them.
"In a democratic society, a political message that criticises the government of the day and the way it squanders resources is completely legitimate."
The advert is an update on a historic SNP poster which featured Margaret Thatcher. “No wonder she’s laughing, she’s got Scotland’s oil,” it read.
Sunak used a trip to Scotland at the end of July to announce his UK Government would look to "max out" the oil reserves in the North Sea by granting more than 100 new exploration and development licences.
Keir Starmer's Labour party has said it will honour any licences the Tories grant between now and the next General Election, should they come to power in its wake.
The National previously reported how the Alba advert was attacked by Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, who said: “This is where Scottish politics is in 2003 [sic], our first Asian heritage Prime Minister being depicted in this way. More than a little distasteful.”
This is where Scottish politics is in 2003, our first Asian heritage Prime Minister being depicted in this way. More than a little distasteful @AlbaParty pic.twitter.com/p5pcluoFfV
— Murdo Fraser (@murdo_fraser) August 13, 2023
Alba chair Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh said in response: “Of course anyone who knows anything about Scottish politics would recognise this as an interesting update of a poster from the highly successful ‘It’s Scotland’s Oil’ campaign – originally devised about Margaret Thatcher.
“Nothing to do with colour, all to do with substance.”
Alba said that their update was meant to show that they are now the only party who supports independence and the continuation of exploration for oil and gas in the North Sea.
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