JOHN Swinney has accused Reform UK of "inciting division" and "racial hatred” after the party made unsubstantiated claims about an award-winning Scottish Indian restaurant.
The First Minister said he was “horrified” by allegations made by Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf about the Jahangir restaurant in St Andrews.
Yusuf claimed on social media that the restaurant had been issued 42 skilled worker permits in 2023 and 2024, suggesting this could have resulted in up to 200 workers and dependants coming to the UK.
However, Jahangir manager Zulfiqar Ali rejected the claims, telling The Courier that only four of his current staff were in the UK on worker permits.
The Home Office also confirmed that applications made under Walham Ltd, the company name associated with Jahangir, relate to four different business locations rather than solely to the St Andrews restaurant, as Yusuf had claimed.
Speaking to The Courier, Swinney said: “I think this is just the operating model of Reform, which is to incite racial hatred in our society.
“I’m horrified that a good, respectable business like Jahangir has been referred to in this fashion by Zia Yusuf and I think it’s totally and utterly unacceptable.
“It’s also typical of Reform.”
The Courier reported that Reform UK had failed to provide evidence substantiating Yusuf’s allegations despite repeated requests.
Yusuf’s allegations were followed by several one-star Google reviews targeting the restaurant, including one which claimed the business “sponsors illegal migration”.
Speaking in Dundee on Thursday, Swinney further accused Reform of using misinformation to fuel divisions within communities.
He told The Courier: “They are often doing so with misinformation.
“They are also doing it in a fashion to deliberately stoke up racial tension.
“I had a discussion on Tuesday with a variety of anti-racism organisations in Scotland who share my deep concern about the conduct of Reform who are quite clearly inciting division within our society.”
The comments come ahead of further protests planned for Saturday against hotels housing asylum seekers in Perth, which falls within the First Minister’s constituency.
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Zia Yusuf was right to highlight the deeply concerning fact that a single curry house sponsored 42 visas in just two years.
"It is completely ignorant of Swinney to dismiss the impact of the Boris-wave crisis as ‘inciting racial hatred’. Perhaps he should listen to the concerns of the Scottish people living with the impact, rather than simply denying it."
