CONCERNS have been raised that “dark money” is being used to fund adverts for Unionist Facebook groups, an investigation by The Ferret and The Free Press for today’s Sunday National has found. A UK Government adviser and a senior figure at the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) think tank is among the figures behind the funding, along with two men who campaigned against Jeremy Corbyn through social media groups and who are now targeting the SNP. The SNP described the Tories and dark money as “familiar partners”. So-called dark money is funding raised for political campaigning through non-profit organisations that do not have to provide the identity of the source of those funds.
By Billy Briggs and Sean Rankin
Two people who campaigned against Jeremy Corbyn through opaque social media groups are now running Facebook campaigns targeting the SNP A UK Government adviser and senior figure at the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) has funded adverts for a campaign group called Businesses For The Union, prompting concerns over so-called “dark money” political activity in Scotland’s election campaign. An investigation by The Ferret and The Free Press also found that two people who campaigned against Jeremy Corbyn through opaque social media groups are now running Facebook campaigns targeting the SNP. Although the above political activism is perfectly legal, campaigners have raised concerns over a lack of transparency over funding and called for new legislation to combat the influence of so-called dark money in politics.