Labour party complains to Twitter over spoof 'Labour Scotland' account that has made mocking and outlandish claims about its election campaign

The Scottish Labour party has asked for a Twitter hoaxer with a satirical sense of humour to be taken off the microblogging site after making increasingly mocking and outlandish claims about its election campaign.

The spoof @LABOURSCOTLAND feed alleged on Wednesday that Labour voters feared independence for Scotland would plunge the country into famine, while "thousands of Scots would starve to death" and there would be "a cold, mean, violent future for all".

Senior staff at the Scottish Labour headquarters – who officially use the account @scottishlabour – have complained to Twitter, asking for the account to be closed down.

Earlier this week, the Scottish Labour leader, Iain Gray, claimed the Scottish National party leader, Alex Salmond, was "downright dangerous".

Labour blames digital-savvy nationalists, who are disparagingly known as "cyber-nats" and have been a constant source of controversy for the Scottish National party, for the spoof feed.

"Our activists have better things to do with their lives, and are getting on knocking on doors," one Labour official said wearily. "It just shows what the cyber-nats do from time to time."

The macabre famine theme follows earlier, subtler tweets, boasting that Labour was backed by Queen guitarist Brian May and football manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, not a "nobody" such as the Scottish actor Brian Cox.

After a recent poll for the Times showing the SNP 10 points ahead, the feed included: "Scots disgusted by latest poll and crowing SNP. They know this has been cooked up by Cameron, Murdoch and the Tartan Tories."

About 265 Twitter users follow the hoax feed – including this reporter and major media organisations such as STV, the Herald, the Scottish edition of the Daily Express, nationalist activists and SNP councillors.

It is also followed by major PR firms, as well as mainstream organisations such as the Scottish Library and Information Service, South Lanarkshire council and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.

The feed first launched in October 2009 at the time of the Glasgow North East byelection, when Labour defeated the SNP, and has reappeared at election times. It sent out one tweet to the housing charity @shelterscotland: "Couldn't agree more. Remember, only Labour is committed to affordable housing – the SNP favours favelas."

When I suggested to @LABOURSCOTLAND on that its famine claims were a hoax, it answered: "Not a spoof – a serious point about the dangers of independence. How would an independent Scotland feed itself?"