Ian Blackford apologises after accusing nighttime photographer of breaking Covid travel rules

An SNP MP has apologised after heavily suggesting that a photographer was flouting Scotland’s recent travel restrictions in a tweet – which he has since deleted.

On Twitter, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber Ian Blackford shared a photograph taken on November 22 in Caithness with a message where he implies the photographer who took it is breaking Covid restrictions.

In his tweet he heavily suggested the photographer, who he claims is from the south of England, was flouting coronavirus rules by “travelling” to the north of Scotland to photograph the northern lights.

But the SNP MP has since deleted his tweet after it caused a storm on Twitter and apologised for “wrongly” singling out an individual on social media.

In a message Mr Blackford said: “I know my constituents feel very strongly about the breaking of travel restrictions that we see across the highlands and islands, which puts people's lives and our public services at risk.

"I will continue to stand up for my constituents who frequently raise these concerns with me but I recognise that it was wrong to query an individual on Twitter and I apologise to @OllieTPhoto for my earlier post, which I have deleted.”

On Ollie Taylor’s Twitter, it appears the photographer moved to Scotland in September for work and his website states he is “from the UK.”

Opinions about Mr Blackford’s apology have been divided.

Ian Blackford apologises after calling out an individual on social media and claiming he was breaking Covid rules

While some praise him for his “open” and “honest” response to the matter, other commenters have accused him of showing a “lack of support” for the arts industry and question how he has the time to single out photographers on social media.

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