A "GREAT Britain" campaign ad has sparked fury online for cutting a part of Scotland off a map in its graphic.
The ad, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet Office, doesn’t feature the Orkney or Shetland islands, prompting the anger of the local MP Alistair Carmichael.
In Scotland it is against the law for public bodies to cut off Shetland from the map and put it in a box closer to the mainland on maps, as this reportedly annoyed locals.
But as the map was produced by the UK Government, questions will be raised over the image’s treatment of the Scottish islands.
This is not the first time the UK Government has omitted Scottish islands from its advertising as Michael Gove’s Levelling Up department had previously removed Shetland from maps in a series of digital adverts.
Gove also garnered fury over electing to host the first of the UK Government’s Islands Forum meetings on Orkney this September, with the MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar responding that “it’s cash that is required not forums”.
Lib Dem @amcarmichaelMP isn't happy about this @GREATBritain campaign ad which chops off Orkney and Shetland... he's written to Steve Barclay (it's a Cabinet Office thing) We have laws related to such crimes in these parts.. https://t.co/G7HBS4TaHw pic.twitter.com/ppTkTnsJ70
— Chris Musson (@ChrisMusson) July 4, 2022
And now the UK Government has struck again by leaving the northern islands out, prompting Carmichael’s surprise that the “islands were not considered to be part of the UK for advertising purposes”.
The LibDem MP has written to the Downing Street Chief of Staff to ask that the islands feature on UK marketing, which the Isle of Man was despite not being part of the UK.
The full letter reads: “Dear Steve, I write regarding the use of maps in the government’s GREAT international brand marketing campaign.
"It has been brought to my attention by constituents travelling through UK airports that the map of the United Kingdom used in branding for the GREAT campaign does not include either Orkney or Shetland. As the member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland it was a matter of some surprise to me that our islands were not considered to be part of the UK for advertising purposes.
"You may be aware that the non-inclusion of the Northern Isles within maps of the UK – official or otherwise – is a point of ongoing frustration for our communities, as we strongly believe that we are as much an integral part of this country as any other area. Indeed my colleague, former Shetland MSP Tavish Scott, campaigned successfully to ensure that no maps produced for the Scottish Government would exclude the Northern Isles or relegate them to misleading locations on the map.
"It should be noted that while Orkney and Shetland, which are a part of the UK, were not included within the map, the isle of Man, which is not part of the UK, was. This may be a point of some concern for the people of Man as well.
"The GREAT campaign is of course intended to present our country to the world in the best possible light, to encourage investment and trade for UK business. Northern Isles businesses and organisations have had remarkable success in recent years in developing world-leading marine renewables technologies, selling whisky and other spirits globally and producing outstanding food products for the world market, it would seem only reasonable that the isles should appear on UK marketing just any other part of the UK.”
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “This image is from a discontinued campaign which should have been removed some time ago. We have spoken to our colleagues at airports across the country to make sure it is no longer in use. “The GREAT campaign is committed to showcasing all four nations, including the Northern Isles, and our current campaigns make sure that is the case. All media space across airports is provided at no cost to the taxpayer.”
