A BUDDING Scottish Labour candidate has defended anti-Gaelic school comments she made on social media.
Vonnie Sandlan, who works as head of office for Dunfermline and Dollar MP Graeme Downie, announced on Twitter/X on Tuesday she had been shortlisted to be a Scottish Labour candidate in the Glasgow Central constituency for the 2026 Holyrood election.
Her post was accompanied by a picture that pledged a “new direction”.
In response to the post, a previous attack she had made on Gaelic education spending was highlighted, where she branded it “middle-class quasi-private education”.
She added that she believed Gaelic was a “regional, not national” language.
Diane Moore, who shared the comment, said: “Will the Gaelic schools be in your constituency? Will they take kindly to your characterisation of their council-run school as a ‘middle-class quasi-private education’ for a ‘regional, not national language’? What will ‘a new direction’ mean for them?”
Sandlan’s original comment said: “The number of Glasgow kids who have not been able to secure their right to education because their needs aren’t met is really significant.
🌹I’m beyond proud to share that I’ve been shortlisted by Scottish Labour to be their candidate in the Glasgow Central constituency for the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. If you're a local member and would like to say hello, please email me at LabourVonnie@gmail.com pic.twitter.com/dc5Ys1uxbR
— Vonnie Sandlan (@VonnSand) August 19, 2025
“Spending this money on a middle-class quasi-private education is unbelievable. Gaelic is a regional language, not a national one.”
In response to Moore, Sandlan defended her attack on the language.
She said: “I don’t make any apologies for wanting better for the many, many Glasgow children who are unable to access their right to education as their needs are not being effectively met. That was my point and remains my position. All children deserve a great school experience.”
Previously, Sandlan worked as the president of the National Union of Students for Scotland for several years.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she has also previously worked as a senior policy officer for Colleges Scotland and a communications and public affairs manager for the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
On the same profile, Sandlan’s bio says she has a “low tolerance threshold for injustice, and a values set which is rooted in communities”.
Earlier this week, Scottish Labour were criticised for distributing a fake newspaper called Scotland’s Voice to prospective voters.
In multiple posts to social media, activists and politicians have been pictured campaigning with copies of “Scotland’s Voice” – which appears to be a multiple page campaign leaflet in the format of a newspaper.
One copy had the headline “Ready To Deliver Scotland’s New Direction” while another has “Scotland’s Best Days Are Ahead Of Us”, accompanied by a picture of leader Anas Sarwar.
