Reform UK's Proposal to Criminalize Gaelic and Scots Sparks Outrage

London, United Kingdom Jul 15, 2026 ALN: Reform UK's Proposal to Criminalize Gaelic and Scots Sparks Outrage

IT’S one thing to propose criminalising election materials produced in Gaelic and Scots and threatening those in breach of the law with jail.

It’s another to then plead an “administrative mess up” as you desperately try and explain a full-blown assault on two of Scotland’s official languages.

But this is what has occurred with Reform UK over the past 24 hours.

The saga began when Nigel Farage's party moved an amendment to a Westminster bill that would, if passed, criminalise all political materials that are not in or Welsh. This proposal has ignited a firestorm of criticism, particularly from advocates of Scotland’s linguistic heritage, who view the amendment as an unprecedented attack on the Gaelic and Scots languages.

Reform UK speaks out on bid to criminalise Gaelic election material

After being approached by The National, a Reform UK spokesperson then claimed that the "amendment was drafted for application in elections in England and Wales, not Scotland and Northern Ireland". They claimed it was not the intention of the amendment to include Scotland and described it as an “administrative mess up.”

The trouble is, it’s there in black and white. The amendment features two paragraphs which explicitly lay out criminal punishments in Scotland. The text states, “A person who commits an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction a) in England and Wales to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, to a fine or both; b) in Scotland or Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both.”

The act it would amend also extends across the UK; it does not just apply in England and Wales. This raises serious questions about the party's understanding of the legislative implications of their actions, particularly given the distinct legal frameworks that exist within the UK’s devolved administrations.

What’s more, if it is an administrative mess up, it’s quite a big one when there are specific details of how a fine in Scotland or Northern Ireland would “not exceed level 5 on the standard scale,” a detail not included in the England and Wales part. Are they seriously suggesting this level of detail was an accident? Such a claim seems untenable given the seriousness of the matter at hand.

It’s frightening in any case. If they did mean it, they are proposing to repress two of Scotland’s official languages, which as former MSP and Gaelic speaker Alasdair Allan laid out, is completely against a decades-long cross-party consensus in Scotland to protect these languages. The implications of such a proposal could be far-reaching, potentially undermining the progress made over the years to promote and preserve Scotland’s linguistic diversity.

If they didn’t, there’s every reason to be terrified that a party who could govern the UK in the future could do something like this by accident. The prospect of a party in power that does not fully grasp the implications of their legislative proposals is alarming, particularly in a country with a rich tapestry of languages and cultures.

Forgive me for being a little cynical too when this attack on Gaelic and Scots has not exactly come out of nowhere. Earlier this year, when Nigel Farage described Welsh speakers as “foreign” in a video, I spoke to Gaelic speaker Eilidh Munro about whether she feared Gaelic would be next to come under threat from Reform. She said that cross-party support for the language could come under threat for the first time in the Scottish Parliament if Reform MSPs got into Holyrood.

“I think anything that threatens their very narrow view of what they think Britain should be is something they’re likely to turn around and attack,” Munro said in March. This sentiment resonates deeply with many who have witnessed the erosion of minority languages and cultures in various contexts, leading to concerns about the future of Gaelic and Scots in Scotland.

Afterwards, Reform backed out of appearing in our live hustings podcast event, sending out a press release saying The National was “lying about us apparently wanting to ban the Gaelic language.” This defensive posture has only served to exacerbate concerns about transparency and accountability within the party. Critics argue that such a reaction reflects a broader pattern of behavior that dismisses legitimate concerns raised by constituents and language advocates.

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It was speculation at the time, of course. We had nothing to prove Reform would attack Gaelic, but certainly had legitimate reason to believe they could after Farage’s remarks about Welsh. The fear among language advocates is not unfounded; historical precedents exist where minority languages have faced significant threats in political contexts, often leading to their decline or even extinction.

So, you can imagine my horror when I subsequently saw this proposal appear on my social media on Monday evening. How the chickens have come home to roost. The reaction from the public has been swift and overwhelmingly negative, with many calling for a reevaluation of the party's stance on language rights and cultural preservation.

If indeed this was all just a misunderstanding, Reform has so far not made it clear how they propose to clear up this “mess.” The lack of a coherent response or plan to address the situation raises further questions about the party's commitment to linguistic diversity and cultural respect.

Even if their proposal is somehow altered, they’ve shown their hand now, and Gaelic and Scots speakers are unlikely to forget it. The incident has sparked a broader conversation about the importance of protecting minority languages and the role that political parties play in either supporting or undermining those efforts. It serves as a reminder of the delicate balance that must be maintained in a multilingual society, where respect for all languages is crucial for fostering social cohesion and cultural richness.

The outrage surrounding this proposal highlights the need for greater awareness and understanding of linguistic rights within the UK political landscape. As debates around nationalism, identity, and cultural preservation continue to evolve, it is imperative that all political parties engage meaningfully with the concerns of minority language speakers and work towards inclusive policies that reflect the diverse fabric of society.