A photographer wrongly accused by Ian Blackford of breaching Covid-19 lockdown rules has called for the MP to make a public apology.
Ollie Taylor was questioned by the MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber on Monday for an assumed breach of travel restrictions when he posted a picture of the northern lights in the Highlands on social media platform Twitter.
Mr Blackford, who also serves as leader of the SNP at Westminster, appeared to believe he had travelled from England to Scotland for the photoshoot – but Mr Taylor had permanently moved to Caithness in September.
The photographer claims the negative attention the episode has brought him has “kept him awake at night” and is affecting his ability to work.
“People say any publicity is good publicity – this certainly isn’t”, Mr Taylor said.
“The police have come to see me and that’s fair enough, but it definitely isn’t a politician’s role as a big person to single out a little person like he did – I don’t think he realises the stress this is caused over the last few days.
“I’ve been bombarded by emails and it’s overwhelming.”
‘I think he needs to apologise properly’
Mr Taylor, a freelance photographer who works across the UK, said Mr Blackford phoned him personally with a “sincere apology”.
But he added: “I think he needs to apologise properly and publicly. Not only to me, but to people from his constituency who aren’t happy and to Scotland as a whole.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday that Mr Blackford had been right to apologise for the message, which led to claims the SNP MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber was guilty of stirring up hatred.
And she suggested his apology was typical of the “grace and dignity” she associated with Mr Blackford “every single day of the week”.
But the first minister was criticised for failing to “call out” Mr Blackford for “harassing” a private citizen.
The 59-year old MP removed the Tweet on Monday after it was revealed Mr Taylor was a resident in Scotland.
As the local MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber I know my constituents feel very strongly about the breaking of travel restrictions that we see across the highlands and islands, which puts people's lives and our public services at risk.
— Ian Blackford (@Ianblackford_MP) November 23, 2020
However, the controversy over a senior MP criticising a member of the public over travel restrictions has been strongly condemned.
‘For an MP to have done this is disgraceful’
Mr Taylor said he hasn’t been able to work since the Tweet came out and accused Mr Blackford of “stoking” anti-English resentment.
He added: “I’ve always worked here, sometimes more than I do in England, and the support I’ve had from the majority of Scottish people over this has been great.
“I work in two of the most beautiful parts of the UK – I work in the Highlands or the south-west of England – so I’ve been really lucky up until now.
“But you can ask what kind effect does this have on somebody, my anxiety is through the roof.
“Hopefully he won’t make any more blasé Tweets, but you never know.
“For an MP to have done this is disgraceful.
“It’s the same thing everywhere and this stoking of public hatred is getting out of hand – the politics is all wrong in England and Scotland right now – Mr Blackford should make a public apology and then that’s it done.”
A spokesman for Mr Blackford said he had “apologised without reservation to Mr Taylor online as well as in a phone call”.
He added that it would be “inappropriate to comment further”.
