THE PR guru aiding the pushback against Glasgow’s low-emissions zone once branded gay men “slobbering old queers” and acted as Nigel Farage’s top spin doctor, The National can reveal.
Jack Irvine, who founded London and Glasgow-based public relations firm Media House International in 1991, has been contracted by the official anti-LEZ campaign leading the charge against the controversial pollution-cutting measure.
The campaign is spearheaded by Donald MacLeod (below), owner of some of Glasgow’s biggest nightclubs including The Garage, and William Paton, who runs a car repair shop in the city.
We can reveal Irvine previously worked as the director of campaign communications for the Brexit Party, while Farage was at the helm.
And he hit out at “slobbering old queers” in a 1998 column in The Mirror, during the debate about equalising the age of consent for homosexual relationships with heterosexual relations.
Defending his comments in a letter to The Herald after criticism from one of its former columnists, Rev Ron Ferguson, the PR professional wrote: “Mr Ferguson describes me as a ‘noted foul-mouthed homophobe’, and misquotes the phrase from my column as ‘slobbering queers who want to get their hands on young boys' arses’.
“The thrust of my column was that the lowering of the age of consent was being misrepresented by the Blair Government as a matter of equal rights. I wrote: ‘You know the tired old argument – if you're old enough to get married, you're old enough for a slobbering old queer to have his evil way with you’.
“I then went on to highlight the dangers of overly-liberal legislation encouraging boys barely into their teens being swept up into a homosexual lifestyle. I wrote: ‘And remember, the next time an old fruit gets caught with his hands in a 14-year-old's pants, he will probably get off when he lisps, “But I thought the boy looked 16”’.
“Now Mr Ferguson might have a gentler, more polite name for older men who attempt to seduce young, impressionable teenage males and put their health, and possibly lives, at risk.
“For the moment, I'll stick to ‘slobbering queers’ until I can think of something more damning.”
Irvine, who was the editor of The Scottish Sun on its launch in 1987, also ran communications for Stagecoach bus tycoon Brian Souter’s (above) campaign against the repeal of Section 28.
Section 28 was the law which banned local authorities from promoting homosexuality and Souter ran a notorious but ultimately failed charge against its repeal in Scotland.
Media House International’s current clients include the government of the Cayman Islands, BBC Alba, McGills buses and Dairy UK.
MacLeod and Paton’s campaign against the LEZ are currently in a legal battle with Glasgow city council in a bid to have phase two of the scheme halted.
Paton has previously claimed the air quality standards sought by the council through the scheme had been met through phase one and that further restrictions are unnecessary.
A well-placed source told The National: “We have one guy who spread moral panic when leading the campaign to retain Section 28 and was Nigel Farage’s propogandist and another who is the nightclub owner who wanted to pack his venues at the height of Covid now teaming up to lead the campaign against a major public health initiative.
“They’re as wrong now as they were then.”
MacLeod argued in August 2020 that punters could be sprayed with disinfectant as a means of getting people back into nightclubs.
He told Sky News at the time: "You can have tunnels they can walk through where they spray disinfectant, you have also got hand sanitisers.
"But you have got to remember that night clubs are about being social not being socially distanced."
MacLeod said he had no prior knowledge of Irvine’s past clients and said he had not paid for the media capaign being run for his anti-LEZ push.
He said: “I know nothing about Media World [sic]. Jack Irvine has only come on board in the past few weeks of the campaign and let’s be fair, he has managed to rattle a few cages.
“As far as his business, as far as his press … I know nothing about that.”
Asked if he had paid Media House International for the campaign, MacLeod replied: “No. Not a penny.”
Addressing his comments during the pandemic, MacLeod added: "At all times during the pandemic I and my peer associates looked at all manners of safe ways to get our businesses open, many of them were not feasible or acceptable.
"The duty of care of my staff and punters have always been at the forefront of my organisation, and that is maybe why after 30 years in operation they are still the most successful clubs in the city and regular winners of the accredited Best Bar None Awards."
Paton was approached for comment.
A spokesperson for Media House International said: “Mr Irvine is busy and has no comment to make.”
