SECRET EMAILS REVEALED
Hidden emails expose gross hypocrisy The SNP minister, a secret meeting and the huge sums of public cash being given to the arms firm who sell missiles to the Saudis
Ian Blackford received a roar of approval when he condemned the Prime Minister for failing to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
In his speech to the House of Commons last November, the SNP Westminster leader’s accused Theresa May of being complicit in “killing children” in Yemen.
But 14 days af ter lecturing the Government in London, his SNP col league Paul Wheelhouse was preparing to travel to Glenrothes for a meeting he was adamant would be hidden from public view.
Scotland’s Business Minister had an appointment with senior managers of Raytheon – global arms dealers who manufacture guidance systems in Fife for Paveway missiles, which are sold to the same Saudi regime his party claimed to so vehemently oppose.
The Sunday Mail can today reveal details of that January 16 meeting, the lengths Wheelhouse went to keep it under wraps and the huge sums of cash being funnelled into Raytheon’s coffers by the Scottish Government.
Emails released through freedom of information show how the minister rejected a request from the firm to publicise the visit on social media.
One message from a member of Raytheon’s communications team to Scottish Development International (SDI), part of Scottish Enterprise, stated: “I am seeking permission to find out if Raytheon UK is permitted to publicise the visit of MSP Paul Wheelhouse to our Glenrothes facility tomorrow.
“Would it be possible to find out if we can take photographs of the MSP?”
A response sent back the day before the visit stated: “This meeting has been agreed by the minister as a private visit and as such, no comms activity will be undertaken. I would be grateful for you to acknowledge receipt of this advice.”
Another email added: “I’ve not had a response yet but the minister’s office is firm on this.”
Raytheon send an acknowledgement stating: “I can confirm no such communications activity will take place.”
Other pieces of correspondence show Wheelhouse’s office was sent “reactive” lines cleared by special advisers, to be given to journalists “if asked” about the visit.
One stated that “if asked for more detail” the response should be: “The Scottish Government do not provide financial support for the manufacture or export of munitions from Scotland.”
Wheelhouse himself appeared to query if that statement was true.
His private secretary wrote: “The minister has asked that we confirm the last line re: not funding arms/ exports, is correct?
“He is happy to go with that, if true, but doesn’t want to over claim if there is any risk it is not watertight.”
An email from Sen Sami, Raytheon’s head of government relations, confirmed a “key request” the company would make of Wheelhouse during the meeting would be to “address the need for support” from the Scottish Government.
The section of the email that appeared to give details of the specific part of their production programme requiring financial aid has been redacted.
The Scottish Government claim not to fund the manufacture or export of munitions from Scotland but Raytheon make the guidance systems for Paveway missiles in Glenrothes.
We obtained separate documents that show the firm received £135,465 from Scottish Enterprise over the last five years – £27,800 in 2014, £16,656 in 2015 and £91,009 in 2017.
It is understood a further £50,160 has been awarded in 2018 and it is unclear if an agreement is in place for future awards.
The Scottish Government’s official line is that any funds handed over to Raytheon
were to help the company “diversify the site into more non-defence related activities”.
However, Raytheon are overwhelmingly an arms company selling weapons and military electronics around the world.
Wheelhouse’s briefing papers reveal he would have been under no illusion that the company wanted to lobby him for more public money at the meeting.
The papers stated: “The company have indicated they would like to discuss potential support from SDI to help them export to USA.” The minister is then coached to tell the company he is “pleased to hear you are working with Scottish Enterprise to diversify the site’s work into more non-defence related activities”.
Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay yesterday condemned the Scottish Government’s hidden relationship with Raytheon. He said: “This is yet another example of the SNP’s secretive practices in government.
“A report by the Information Commissioner found SNP ministers bent freedom of information law and used an army of taxpayer-funded spin doctors to bury bad news. “Now we learn that an SNP minister met with an arms manufacturer and ordered civil servants not to publicise the visit or take a photo of him.
“It’s no wonder Mr Wheelhouse was camera shy as this visit exposes the hypocrisy of the SNP saying one thing at Westminster whilst doing the complete opposite in power at Holyrood.
“He must reveal why he met Raytheon, what he discussed and why he insisted on a vow of silence from his staff.”
The £22,000-a-time Paveway system is attached to conventional bombs to turn them into “smart” missiles. It consists of a seeker head, forward canards and rear tail fins, plus electronics and pneumatic controls.
The munitions combine a laser seeker with GPS guidance system to precision bomb targets, with the direction controllable until impact from the cockpit of a fighter jet.
A protest was held outside Raytheon’s plant last week over arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
The firm are the fifth biggest arms manufacturer in the world and employ nearly 600 people.
In 2016, Raytheon won a £242million contract to provide 214 Tomahawk missi les to the US and UK from Glenrothes and other plants.
The Sunday Mail revealed in 2014 that parts of Israeli Paveway bombs dropped on Gaza were made by Raytheon in Fife.
In 2009, after an Israeli blitz on Gaza, Amnesty International found remnants of a 500lb bomb with manufacturing codes identifying it as one of Raytheon’s.