THE body responsible for Gaelic development in Scotland has invited Reform UK for talks on its “significant value” after the party proposed criminalising election materials produced in the language.
The National reported how Nigel Farage's party moved an amendment to a Westminster bill that would, if passed, criminalise all political materials that are not in English or Welsh.
If Reform's amendment to the Representation of the People Bill were passed, those in breach of the law could be jailed for up to six months and could also face a fine.
Reform claimed after being approached by The National that the "amendment was drafted for application in elections in England and Wales, not Scotland and Northern Ireland” and that there had been a “administrative mess up”.
However, the amendment featured two paragraphs which explicitly laid out criminal punishments in Scotland, and the act it would amend, the Representation of the People Bill, extends across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The National approached Bòrd na Gàidhlig about the saga, and the organisation has now offered Reform the chance to meet to discuss the importance of the language.
Ealasaid MacDonald, ceannard (CEO) at Bòrd na Gàidhlig, said: "It is disappointing to be having this discussion, and we would be happy to discuss with the Reform Party the significant value of Gaelic as a social, economic and cultural asset, not only to Scotland, but to the United Kingdom."
The National has asked Reform UK if they plan to take Bòrd na Gàidhlig up on the meeting and is awaiting a response.
Gaelic and Scots speakers hit out at the party on Tuesday, with one prominent Scots campaigner comparing Nigel Farage to Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who led a regime that ordered Catalonians to “speak the language of empire”.
Gaelic speaker and former SNP candidate Eilidh Munro said an “administrative mess up” was a “feeble excuse” for displaying “ignorance and incompetence” about the language.
Scots language teacher Jamie Fairbairn said Reform’s attitude was also “offensive to young people” while career development expert Dr Emma Bolger – who has led research into the benefits of Gaelic medium education (GME) – said they were contributing to “unfounded negativity” about the education of children in the language.
Fairbairn, who has been a Scots language teacher for a decade, told The National: “I find Reform’s proposed amendments to the Representation of the People Bill offensive to the young people I teach as well as to their Scots speaking families and communities.
“The move appears to be prejudice of a high order and seeks to reverse important progress made in language revitalisation and validation of citizens and the languages they speak.
“Is Reform aware that the Scottish Languages Bill, passed with full cross-party support in September 2025, has been enacted, and that Education Scotland has included Scots and Gaelic as core languages in the new Curriculum Improvement Cycle?
“I suspect this is at best a poorly thought-out blunder, born of bias, showing a lack of knowledge about Scotland, and stands no chance of going through. However, it is a stark reminder that continued work on language protection and revitalisation is ever more important and necessary.”
At the end of last year, Reform were heavily criticised as Farage claimed Glasgow schoolchildren who didn’t have English as a first language were “culture-smashing” the city.
Bolger, whose children attend GME, said the amendment added to this “unfounded negativity” about children learning in Gaelic.
“We have a body of children in Scotland whose first language is Gaelic, they would be considered native speakers of Gaelic, they have Gaelic in their home, they bring that as their first language when they come into education, it’s not that they are second language speakers of Gaelic,” she said.
“Whenever you post anything about Gaelic there is just a pile on, immediately there is the anti-Gaelic sentiments just appearing everywhere, and I think this is really challenging.
“When you see these comments being posted and the rhetoric about it, I think we forget children can read this. Teenagers read this and they see it and they know there’s this animosity. I talk a lot about using your Gaelic and using it as a career benefit later on, and I worry that will put children off talking about the fact they have Gaelic.”
On the Reform amendment, she added: “It's definitely another unnecessary contribution, fuelling misconceptions and contributing to unfounded negativity about the education of children in GME.”
