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SNP accused of misleading public with use of fake cafe in Covid campaign

The fake Hilltop Cafe and the actress posing as its owner - Scottish Government/Scottish Government 
The fake Hilltop Cafe and the actress posing as its owner - Scottish Government/Scottish Government

Staring directly into the camera, a cafe owner issues a passionate plea to the public to strictly follow coronavirus rules to help “the people who work at businesses like mine”.

But SNP ministers have been accused of attempting to hoodwink the Scottish public after it emerged that they created a fake business for their latest flagship public health campaign - and spent £60,000 of taxpayers’ cash on the 30 second advert.

And in what opposition MSPs said was an embarrassing revelation, it emerged that the real business which was temporarily altered has actually been shut since March, and the owners admit it may never reopen.

The real business, Cafe Tartine, has been closed since March - Stuart Nicol/Stuart Nicol Photography
The real business, Cafe Tartine, has been closed since March - Stuart Nicol/Stuart Nicol Photography

The advertisement, which has run extensively on TV, uses an actress to play the part of the owner of the ‘Hilltop Cafe’.

In fact, no such business exists, with Cafe Tartine in Leith, around the corner from a major Scottish Government office building in Edinburgh, rebranded for the purposes of the advert.

Wooden boards are put up to hide the real business’s branding, and no trace now remains of the Hilltop Cafe signs used in the clip, which has also been viewed almost one million time on YouTube.

Critics questioned why a real business could not have been used, with hospitality firms across the country struggling to survive.

"Many business owners across Scotland fighting to stay afloat and to keep their staff on the payroll have despaired at the SNP government's poor, patchy and delayed response to the pandemic,” Maurice Golden, economy spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said.

"The fact the real business used in the government advert may never reopen should embarrass the SNP.

"But is also an issue of trust as viewers may have been hoodwinked by this fakery. Given the SNP's lack of credibility in the business community and wealth-creating private sector, maybe they just couldn't find a real business person to take part."

The Scottish Government headquarters, close to where the advert was filmed - Stuart Nicol/Stuart Nicol Photography
The Scottish Government headquarters, close to where the advert was filmed - Stuart Nicol/Stuart Nicol Photography

While the advert presents the cafe owner as being supportive of the Scottish Government’s coronavirus restrictions, relations between the sector and SNP ministers are acrimonious.

Bodies representing hospitality firms have repeatedly complained about a lack of engagement, and have attacked policies such as a ban on background music and harsh curfews, for which they argue there is little scientific evidence. They have also argued financial support on offer is woefully inadequate, and have taken the unprecedented step of threatening legal action to overturn restrictions.

In October, Nicola Sturgeon told hospitality businesses in the central belt that they would have to close for just 16 days, but the closures were later extended. They were later allowed to open on a limited basis, without the sale of alcohol, but across 11 council areas in west and central Scotland, blanket closures have been imposed once again.

Stephen Montgomery, spokesman for the Scottish Hospitality Group, said the premise of the advert, which suggests people bending the rules around household gatherings and socialising were putting hospitality businesses at risk, was flawed.

Watch: Sturgeon - Families in Scotland likely to meet for Christmas

He said: “It is not twisting the rules that poses the threat to businesses, it’s the Government's misguided approach to the restrictions.

“We can be part of the solution if our practical suggestions for balancing public health with economic survival are followed. Never mind making videos about fake cafes - come and speak to the real operators of pubs, restaurants and hotels.”

Mr Montgomery, a landlord in Lockerbie, also questioned the £59,989 cost of the campaign, created by the Leith Agency advertising firm. The Scottish Government said the bill also included the production of materials other than the TV advert.

He said: “I think if they had asked anyone at all they would have done it for free. I certainly would have.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said the owners of Cafe Tartine, who in March said they were closing and warned they may never be able to reopen, had been compensated for use of their shop front.

The spokesman added: “The advert was filmed when all indoor hospitality in central belt health board areas was closed with the exception of cafes and takeaway services. The site was chosen because it offered what was needed in terms of space, public access and suitable noise levels. Filming in a closed business ensured all coronavirus protective guidelines and regulations were followed - including specific guidance for filming - and prevented disruption to the opening hours of a business which was able to open.

“Café Tartine was reimbursed for the use of its shopfront and we renamed it for the advert - as we would have done for any other business - to avoid any suggestion that the business used as a backdrop may be closing down.”