"Taking into account all the circumstances of this case, I have concluded that the balance of the public interest favours withholding this information."
Cabinet Office, refusing a request for its polling on the Union, 1 July 2019.
A foreign agency told Scotland what was done to its election. The British state wouldn't. Every step of the refusal was lawful.
The receipts
The source list for this chapter, as the publisher maintains it. Archive links are given wherever a cited page could move or die.
- VIGINUM (SGDSN), Rapport technique: Rokh Solis, 11 June 2026, section 3.3.1, PDF page 28 (printed page 26): the 256 accounts, ~1,400 comments, 6 January to 8 May 2026, "à quatre reprises", 652 / 338 / 112 (@JohnSwinney, @theSNP, @ScotGovFM). https://www.sgdsn.gouv.fr/files/files/viginum/Publications/20260611_SGDSN_VIGINUM_Rapport-technique_Rokh-Solis.pdf; Wayback 20260819104601
- VIGINUM (SGDSN), Rapport public: Élections municipales, 11 June 2026 (does not mention Scotland). https://www.sgdsn.gouv.fr/files/files/viginum/Publications/20260611_SGDSN_VIGINUM_Rapport-public_Elections-municipales.pdf; Wayback 20260819104625.
- Novara Media, "Israeli cyber firm meddled in Scotland and New York elections", 16 June 2026 (reproduces the figures from the technical report). https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/16/israeli-cyber-firm-meddled-in-scotland-and-new-york-elections/; Wayback 20260819104657.
- Middle East Eye, "Israeli firm BlackCore meddled in US and Scottish elections, French watchdog says", 12 June 2026 (Brillant's spoken remarks listing Scotland among Angola, Togo and New York). Wayback 20260819104225.
- Novara Media, "UK government won't release files on Israeli firm meddling in election", 12 August 2026 (the Cabinet Office refusal, the Scottish Government release). https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/12/uk-government-wont-release-files-on-israeli-firm-meddling-in-election/; Wayback 20260819104751.
- Middle East Eye, "UK withholds information on Israeli firm accused of targeting Scottish first minister in elections", 13 August 2026. Wayback 20260819104132.
- Middle East Monitor, 12 August 2026. Wayback 20260819104315.
- The National, the original FOI requests and reporting, August 2026: article not yet located; see verification notes.
- Freedom of Information Act 2000, s.24 (national security). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36
- Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, Russia, HC 632, published 21 July 2020.
- Reference by the Lord Advocate of devolution issues under paragraph 34 of Schedule 6 to the Scotland Act 1998 [2022] UKSC 31, 23 November 2022, at [88] to [92]. https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/uksc/2022/31
- Reference re Secession of Quebec [1998] 2 SCR 217, Supreme Court of Canada, at paras 88, 92, 104.
- Margaret Thatcher, The Downing Street Years (HarperCollins, 1993), page reference to be confirmed against a physical copy.
- Denis Healey, interview with Holyrood magazine, reported in The Scotsman, 20 May 2013. https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-independence-uk-underplayed-value-of-oil-1574564
- Scotland Act 1998, ss.28, 35 and 63A. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/46
- Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland 2025-26, Scottish Government, 12 August 2026.
- House of Lords allowances, 2025-26 rates, UK Parliament. https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/members-allowances/house-of-lords/holallowances/explanatory-notes/202526/
- The Ferret, "Scots peers cost taxpayer £10m over five years", 28 July 2024. https://www.theferret.scot/scots-peers-cost-taxpayer-house-of-lords/; Wayback 20260819104934.
- Scottish Renewables, transmission charging projections for 2030/31, reported in The Scotsman, 7 June 2026. https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/transmission-charging-regime-not-fit-for-purpose-as-scottish-renewable-projects-braced-for-ps1bn-bill-8661345
- The refusal's grounds. Section 24 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (national security), with the separately worded need "to avoid giving offence to other nations and retain the trust of our international partners": Middle East Eye, Imran Mulla, 13 August 2026, archived https://web.archive.org/web/20260819104132/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-withholds-information-israeli-firm-accused-targeting-scottish-first-minister-elections. No source quotes the letter citing section 27; the chapter no longer says it did (publication review, 9 October 2026, row F27). ISC Russia report read as Chapter 11 reads it: paragraph 41 (2014, redacted) and paragraph 47 (the EU referendum, no post-referendum assessment); row F01.
- Publication review additions, 9 October 2026 (the advocate merge; each tag is the edit it sources): - (01-A05#1) Daily Record front page, Thursday 13 August 2026, as reproduced in BBC News, 'Scotland's papers: Festivals facing £1m tourist tax bill and clouds block eclipse', published 13 August 2026, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74grjgrgp7o; existing capture https://web.archive.org/web/20260813191954/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74grjgrgp7o; front-page image https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/529/cpsprodpb/653a/live/e22a0d20-969b-11f1-a7ab-8b30adf0800a.jpg (Wayback save submitted 9 October 2026; the CDX index was not answering when checked, so confirm the capture at web.archive.org/web/2026*/<url> before print) - (01-A04#1) Commons written question UIN 13442, tabled 25 June 2026 by Brendan O'Hara (SNP, Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber) to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, answered 30 June 2026 by Sarah Jones (Croydon West), heading 'Local Government: Elections'. Full question: "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report by Viginum entitled Rokh Solis: Analysis of an informational modus operandi that targeted the municipal elections of March 2026, published on 11th June 2026; and whether the designation power under the National Security (State Threats) Bill 2026 can be applied to private commercial entities." Full answer: "The Government is committed to safeguarding the UK's democratic integrity. The Joint Election Security Preparedness Unit (which sits jointly across the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office) is dedicated to electoral security. The designation power under the National Security (State Threats) Bill as currently drafted can be used to designate any body engaged in foreign power threat activity, including private commercial entities. The designation must be necessary to protect the safety or interests of the UK." Record: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-06-25/13442 (Wayback save attempted 9 Oct 2026, no capture confirmed: rate-limited or timed out); data: https://questions-statements-api.parliament.uk/api/writtenquestions/questions/1920600?expandMember=true (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261009093157/https://questions-statements-api.parliament.uk/api/writtenquestions/questions/1920600?expandMember=true)
- The epigraph: Cabinet Office refusal letter of 1 July 2019 (the request for the Union polling), quoted verbatim line 100.
- Swinney on Gaza: as reported by Middle East Eye, Ayse Betul Aytekin, 12 June 2026, Wayback 20260819104225.
- BlackCore's nationality and self-description: Viginum technical report, s.3.3 ("Une entreprise israélienne probablement à l'origine des campagnes") and s.3.3.1 (the website self-description; the same page calls it a "pseudo-société" whose legal status could not be verified). Confirm printed page numbering before print.
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