A proposal by Reform UK to ban people from using Irish on election posters and leaflets underlines that “Northern Ireland is forgotten about” by many British MPs, a Fianna Fáil MEP has argued.
Earlier this week, Reform MPs in the House of Commons tabled an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, which would ban election materials from using any language other than English or Welsh.
Anyone convicted breaking the rules could be fined or imprisoned for six months.
Reform has argued that the amendment would only apply to England and Wales, insisting that it is “committed to protecting the linguistic heritage of Britain”.
On Moncrieff, Dublin MEP Barry Andrews said the party seems to care little for the Celtic nations within the United Kingdom.
“A problem that exists, I think, in Westminster is that a lot of the time Northern Ireland is forgotten about,” he said.
“Sometimes Wales is forgotten about, sometimes Scotland is forgotten about; there's a growing English nationalism.”
Mr Andrews noted that the amendment was tabled in order to target people using South Asian languages, which are spoken by a significant minority of British citizens with immigrant backgrounds.
“They have a particular ideology about migration, about new communities that are living in the United Kingdom, which actually runs completely counter to the UK,” he said.
“The UK has been an absolutely fantastic example of integration at a political level; you look at Rishi Sunak, you look at James Cleverley, Suella Braverman - people from different communities who have risen to the highest political offices in the UK.
“So, what Reform UK is doing, it has an impact in Ireland, it may do in the future if they come into Government.
“But I think essentially they were aiming this towards the Asian communities living across England.”
Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage with his party's candidates onstage during a campaign event at Stafford Showground, Stafford, whilst campaigning for this week's local elections. Picture by: Jacob King / Alamy.Reform Member of the Scottish Parliament Max Bannerman said speakers of Celtic languages should not be concerned about the amendment.
“As a Highlander who is a keen supporter of the Gaelic language and Scotland’s rich cultural heritage, I can guarantee that Reform UK is committed to protecting the linguistic heritage of Britain," he said.
“This amendment was drafted for application in England and Wales, not Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“It was about preserving the integrity of elections and ensuring that they are fought in domestic languages, not Urdu or Bengali".
“This is not about diminishing Scotland’s identity or heritage."
Main image: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in Merthyr Tydfil. Picture by: PA Wire/PA Images.
