Nicola Sturgeon was branded a “coward” and compared to Donald Trump for not allowing members of the press to attend the SNP’s election campaign launch.
The SNP leader was due in Glasgow on Friday to highlight the cost of living crisis as the focus of the campaign.
However, much of the media was excluded from attending.
Opposition parties accused the first minister of being “out of touch” and “utterly shameless”.
‘Remarkable display of arrogance’
Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Lib Dems, said keeping journalists away from a media launch feels more like a move by Donald Trump.
He said: “This is a remarkable display of both arrogance and cowardice from the first minister.
“It feels more like the scrutiny dodging antics of Donald Trump than the actions of a leader at ease with her government’s record.”
He added: “Then again if I had spent five years cutting local authority budgets then perhaps I wouldn’t want to face media scrutiny either.”
Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross said: “Nicola Sturgeon’s attitude is she believes she communicates at a higher level than everyone else.
“This suggests she has nothing new to say and it is a tired government with no new ideas.
“The SNP is keen to criticise the prime minister when this happens but take exception when it is themselves.
“It is hypocritical for the SNP to say it is unacceptable when Boris Johnson does but yet they seem to do exactly the same.
“It tells people a lot about her vision and ambition for Scotland, and that is very little if she is not willing to share it.”
Scottish Labour accused the party of being out of answers.
Neil Bibby MSP, the party’s business manager, said: “This is a tell-tale sign that this manifesto is going to be as bereft of ideas as the SNP’s last 15 years in government.”
He added: “It is utterly shameless for the SNP to talk about the cost of living crisis while they refuse to use the litany of powers at their disposal to help Scots.”
Azzurra Moores, UK Campaigns Officer for Reporters Without Borders, said: “Reports of restrictions on journalists’ ability to engage with public officials in Scotland is troubling.
“The Scottish Government and ruling Scottish National Party must ensure that such actions are ceased and that they are acting in accordance with their press freedom obligations.
“These restrictions take place against a broader backdrop of worrying restrictions on the media across the UK, and could contribute to further deterioration of the UK’s press freedom record.”
Ahead of the official campaign launch, the SNP sent journalists an emailed statement from the first minister.
Asked if the press could attend, the media office said space is limited at the “event” but broadcasters would work on a pooled basis.
“We’ll have opportunities later in the campaign and publications will get the opportunity to ask questions of the party leader,” an SNP official added.
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