LABOUR have been urged to reject Reform's proposals to ban Gaelic, Scots and British Sign Language (BSL) from election materials, as a Scottish minister warned they have the potential to impact on devolution.
Scotland's Parliamentary Business Minister Jamie Hepburn has written to his UK Government counterpart Samantha Dixon to set out concerns over amendments lodged against the Representation of the People Bill.
Nigel Farage's party has moved an amendment that would, if passed, criminalise all political materials that are not in English or Welsh.
If Reform's is passed, those in breach of the law could be jailed for up to six months and could also face a fine.
There is also an amendment to prohibit materials in “a native language of any foreign country outside the British Islands”.
Hepburn has urged Labour to "strongly oppose" these proposals, highlighting that they could interfere in devolved matters.
"Aspects of these amendments appear to have the potential to impact upon matters devolved to the Scottish Parliament. I am concerned that NC107 in particular takes no account of Gaelic, Scots or British Sign Language," he said in his letter.
“As you will know, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, and BSL are all legally recognised languages in Scotland, and the ethos of our respect for these languages run contrary to these amendments which show an entire lack of understanding of Scotland.
“I also consider that these amendments do not meet the principle of encouraging full participation in the democratic process. I am therefore keen to obtain your reassurance that they will be strongly opposed by the UK Government.”
A Reform UK spokesperson claimed that the "amendment was drafted for application in elections in England and Wales, not Scotland and Northern Ireland" when approached by The National earlier this week.
However, the amendment features two paragraphs which explicitly lay out criminal punishments in Scotland.
The act it would amend also extends across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, therefore including Scotland.
A Reform UK spokesperson claimed that criminalising Gaelic or Scots in Scotland had not been the “intention” of the amendment.
Asked if Reform UK had “published an amendment that they don't understand”, they told The National: “No, the Table Office changed it later on. There was an administrative mess up.”
No changes have been made to the amendment so far, with the bill currently postponed to September to give time for the Hillsborough bill.
