Questions have been raised over the timing of a decision by broadcaster STV to quit one of Scotland’s top business groups.
The commercial TV station said rules on impartiality meant it had “no choice” but to leave CBI Scotland after the employers’ body formally backed the campaign against independence.
But a string of political and media figures have questioned why STV has quit now, given the CBI has been strongly opposed to independence for years.
Ted Brocklebank, a former STV executive and former Tory MSP, said STV’s move doesn’t add up.
He said: “The CBI has been quite consistent with its approach to independence for some time, what really has changed?
“The question is why STV, given its apparent impartiality concerns, was in the CBI in the first place and hasn’t raised any issues until now.”
A source in the Better Together camp described the move as “ridiculous nonsense”, adding, “The CBI has been asking questions about independence for years without a peep from STV.
“It’s almost as if STV are worried a little too much about their relationship with the SNP.”
The CBI has formally registered with the Electoral Commission as a backer of the pro-Union campaign and has said it is confident the “vast majority” of its membership backs its stance on independence.
But Select which represents 1,250 engineering companies has said it doesn’t reflect their members’ views and two other members, Aquamarine Power and the Balhousie Care Group, have already quit.
In 2010 a Sunday newspaper obtained correspondence between Alex Salmond and Rob Woodward, STV’s chief executive.
The letters showed the two men had an “interesting and productive dialogue” at a meeting at STV’s Glasgow HQ with topics including STV’s aspirations “to increase the amount of Scottish content”.
In a letter to Mr Salmond in 2009, Mr Woodward also offers to “explore how we can incorporate our innovative thinking around television exposure for the benefit of the [Scottish] Government.”
The channel later showed a series of Scotland-themed programmes, including three sponsored by the Scottish Government.
These were Made In Scotland, Scotland Revealed and The Greatest Scot series.
However, Ofcom later rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing, concluding: “there was no evidence or implication that the Scottish Government had influenced the content in such a way as to impair STV’s responsibility and editorial independence.”
Scottish Conservative culture spokeswoman Liz Smith said: “If STV, as a broadcaster, is concerned about how that impacts its impartiality then the decision is fair enough.
“However, if it is the result of lobbying from Alex Salmond and the Scottish Government, that is matter for definite concern.”
A spokeswoman for STV said: “STV is a public service broadcaster with a duty of impartiality and as such we have no corporate or editorial position on the independence referendum in September.
“In light of CBI Scotland’s decision to register with the Electoral Commission we have no choice but to resign our membership of CBI Scotland.”
STV had been a member of CBI Scotland for more than 10 years.
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