A communications company used by Tory MPs has been accused of “shameless PR” after it emailed a “grotesque” video to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of 9/11.
Millbank Creative emailed MPs on Friday afternoon – the day before the anniversary – with a “complimentary” video for them to share on social media.
The video features a woman singing with a montage of footage from the attack, the last phone calls from people on the planes and clips of people falling from windows of one of the towers.
In an email to MPs, they wrote: “Please find below a link to a 9/11 tribute video which we would like to offer you complimentary use of on your social media channels. It features the Portcullis at the end. A suggested caption is below, which you may wish to edit.”
They added: “We hope you find it useful to help your constituents commemorate this tragic event.”
However, the email and content has upset MPs and parliamentary staffers who say they are “absolutely disgusted”.
One source told HuffPost UK: “As someone who knows people that were caught up in 9/11 and had friends who retrieved the dead bodies and remains of those killed - I am absolutely disgusted.
“I think the whole premise of sending it to all MPs for Millbank Creative to get free publicity as well as putting the Portcullis logo on it - is pretty bad and shameless PR.”
They also described the footage of people jumping out of the buildings with country music in the background as “grotesque” and added: “I don’t know what I find more grotesque – that or the use of the calls of people dying, trapped on the planes or in the buildings.”
The company has apparently been endorsed by a number Conservative Party MPs on its website and describes itself as creating “unique, engaging digital content for political offices and public sector organisations across the UK”.
A promotional video on their website features MPs including the Home Secretary Priti Patel.
Millbank Creative responded: “Our intention wasn’t to hurt or offend anyone.
“We are a social media content creation company who created a video we felt conveyed the national sentiment, for use by MPs, on a gut wrenching anniversary.
“It is particularly close to our hearts as one of our directors himself fought in Afghanistan as part of the British Army. If we caused any offence we are truly sorry. MPs and their officers are under no obligation to use this video, it was created solely as a piece of free content.”