UK withholds information on Israeli firm accused of targeting Scottish first minister in elections

The British government has refused to publish any information it holds on an Israeli firm suspected of interfering in the Scottish parliament elections, on the grounds that doing so may "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 said investigations had 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, he said, it was unclear who had commissioned the Israeli company to carry out the operations.

The watchdog said BlackCore-linked accounts specifically targeted Scottish First Minister John Swinney.

The National newspaper reported this week that it submitted two Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the UK and Scottish governments for the release of "any correspondence (including emails and letters) mentioning the French government agency Viginum and discussing its findings regarding alleged Israeli-linked influence operations (and the firm BlackCore) affecting Scotland or Scottish elections".

According to The National, the UK Cabinet Office replied that the FOI request "relates to information that must not to be disclosed in order to safeguard national security".

The Cabinet Office said: "We have weighed these public interests against a very strong public interest in safeguarding national security. It is important that this sensitive information is protected, as disclosure of information would damage national security. This interest could only be overridden in exceptional circumstances.

"Taking into account all the circumstances of this case, we have determined that the balance of the public interest favours withholding this information."

The Scottish government, meanwhile, withheld some information on national security grounds, but published other documents showing officials discussing how to respond to the French government report.

They include the principal private secretary to the Scottish first minister saying: "I have shared this with FM - anticipating that he will want to understand more about this report, what we/UKG and security apparatus know/knew about it, and what actions remedial and future / proactive are being taken."

Swinney, the first minister, leads the Scottish National Party (SNP), which has been heavily critical of Israel's actions in Gaza. Swinney himself accused Israel of committing genocide in August 2025.

"It’s quite clear that there is a genocide in Palestine - it can’t be disputed," he said.

"I have seen reports of terrible atrocities which have the character of being genocide. I’ve expressed that and obviously it’s not reached all those individuals, but that’s my feeling."