The British government has refused to publish any information it holds on an Israeli firm suspected of interfering in Scottish parliamentary elections, citing that such disclosure could "prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and any other state."
In June, the French disinformation watchdog Viginum accused Israeli cyber firm BlackCore of meddling in elections in New York City and Scotland, as well as in France’s local elections. Viginum chief Marc-Antoine Brillant indicated that investigations led the watchdog to suspect BlackCore of being "used to carry out foreign digital interference operations in other countries or regions, such as Angola, Togo, the elections in Scotland, and the 2025 municipal election in New York." However, it remained unclear who had commissioned the company.
Viginum stated that BlackCore-linked accounts specifically targeted Scottish First Minister John Swinney. The National newspaper reported that it submitted two Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the UK and Scottish governments seeking correspondence discussing Viginum's findings on alleged Israeli-linked influence operations affecting Scotland. The UK Cabinet Office responded that the request related to information that must not be disclosed to safeguard national security, arguing that disclosure would damage it and that the balance of public interest favored withholding the information.
The Scottish government also withheld some information on national security grounds but released other documents showing officials discussing how to respond to the French report. These included a note from the principal private secretary to the Scottish first minister stating that Swinney had been briefed and would want to understand what the UK government and security apparatus knew and what actions were being taken.
John Swinney, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, having accused Israel of committing genocide in August 2025.
