May ‘ appalled’ by SNP ‘ bullying’ over branding
Prime Minister Theresa May has said it is “frankly appalling” the SNP “bullied” Marks &Spencer over its move to brand Scottish produce as British and put the Union Jack on packaging.
The Prime Minister weighed into the row, claiming the SNP “did not want to see the Union Flag and the word British on produce”.
Documents have revealed Scottish Government officials phoned the high street giant “to seek clarity on the situation” after Scotch whisky was listed as being from the UK on its website.
A separate briefing marked “urgent” was sent to First Minister Ni cola Sturgeon over Tesco’s decision to change branding on Scottish strawberries from the Saltire to a Union Flag.
Scottish Tory MP Luke Graham raised the issue at PMQS, asking Mrs May to condemn “petty bullying”.
Mrs May said everyone should be “proud of Scottish and British produce”, adding: “It is frankly appalling that the Scottish Government did not want to see the Union Flag and the word ‘ British’ on produce. It fails to reflect the vote that took place in Scotland, which showed that people in Scotland want to stay part of the United Kingdom.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said it “raised concerns with the company in a constructive manner… exactly as people would expect”.