Sturgeon Writes a Letter to Cameron for GCHQ Spying Clarification

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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First Minister of Scotland and the leader of Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon, has addressed a formal letter to the UK Prime Minister David Cameron to seek immediate assurance that the UK’s intelligence agencies are not spying on MSPs. The letter has come in response to several reports claiming that surveillance agency GCHQ is no longer applying the so-called Wilson doctrine in Scotland.

The Wilson doctrine bans the tapping of politician’s phones but it does not include communications of members of the devolved parliaments. However, Sturgeon stressed that MSPs should be treated the same way as MPs and peers. The Scottish Parliament’s presiding officer, Tricia Marwick, mentioned in a separate letter to the prime minister that she expects Holyrood to be consulted about any changes. The Wilson doctrine protects MPs’ phones and electronic communications, including emails.

Although GCHQ previously applied the doctrine to communications of MSPs, recent reports claim that the situation has changed. Ms Sturgeon stated that she seeks “urgent clarification on an apparent change of policy from GCHQ.” She mentioned that “I am sure you will agree with me that, excepting truly exceptional circumstances involving national security, the confidentiality of communications between parliamentarians and their constituents is of the utmost importance.” Sturgeon claimed that “I am sure you will also agree that it is just as important for MSPs as it is for MPs,” adding that “this principle of confidentiality is what the ‘Wilson doctrine’ was introduced to protect.”