THE SNP and Scottish Labour have united to condemn a “blatantly racist” advert which Reform UK have spent some £8500 targeting at Scots voters.
Nigel Farage’s party have used selected parts from a video of Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, to claim that he “has said he will prioritise the Pakistani community”.
The clip comes from a longer video of an event in late 2022 at which Sarwar said South Asian people were beginning to enter British politics themselves, and would no longer just be seen as a “vote bank”.
A selective cut from the speech was spread by far- and alt-right agitators on social media last month in a bid to present “our Europe” as under attack from “multiculturalism” and mass immigration, specifically of Muslims.
Around two weeks after the video was spread by an anonymous far-right account on Twitter/X, Reform UK began paying Meta for parts of it to be shown on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.
It then fades to text claiming “only Reform will prioritise the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse”.
According to Meta, between £8000-£9000 has been spent promoting the ad to Scottish voters since May 12, all of whom are in the Larkhall and Hamilton areas – where a Holyrood by-election is set to take place on June 5.
If Reform UK overtake Labour at the by-election, which is widely seen as a two-horse race between Sarwar’s party and the SNP, it would send shockwaves through Scottish politics and seem to confirm polling suggestions that Farage’s party could become the second-largest at Holyrood after the 2026 elections.
But Reform UK’s campaign advert has been widely condemned by all of Scotland’s main political parties – excluding the increasingly hard-right Scottish Tories.
A spokesperson for Sarwar told the Daily Record: “This is a blatantly racist advert from Reform UK that attempts to question the identity, loyalty and belonging of Anas Sarwar.
“Anas was born in Scotland and has lived here all his life. He is a proud Scot who has worked in our NHS and campaigns to deliver for every Scot. Decent people across Scotland will reject Reform’s divisive politics.
“People understandably feel scunnered and want a Scottish Government that delivers for them. More division is not the answer though.”
An SNP spokesperson also condemned Reform, saying: “The advert from Nigel Farage’s party is disgraceful and completely unacceptable.
“Scotland is a proudly diverse and welcoming country – and it is incumbent on all of us to stand up to those who seek to provoke division and marginalise communities across Scotland.”
Aisha Mir, the LibDem candidate in the by-election, said the ad was “not so much a dog whistle as a foghorn”.
And Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie called it a “despicable attempt by Reform to bring blatant racism into the by-election”.
Reform UK have been approached for comment.
