REFORM UK have responded following backlash over their proposals to criminalise election campaign materials in Gaelic and Scots.
The National previously reported how Nigel Farage's party has moved an amendment to a Westminster bill that would, if passed, criminalise all political materials that are not in English or Welsh.
If Reform's amendment to the Representation of the People Bill is passed, those in breach of the law could be jailed for up to six months and could also face a fine.
The SNP accused Reform of plotting "to crush Scotland's native Scots and Gaelic languages" with plans they say are "all too reminiscent of the brutal anti-Gaelic laws of the Highland Clearances".
Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens said Farage's party was using "censorship" and that the amendment is "absurdly" and "dangerously" broad.
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Reform UK have now hit back, accusing the SNP of being "unsurprisingly misleading".
A Reform UK spokesperson claimed that the "amendment was drafted for application in elections in England and Wales, not Scotland and Northern Ireland".
However, the amendment features two paragraphs which explicitly lay out criminal punishments in Scotland.
The act it would amend, the Representation of the People Bill, extends across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, therefore including Scotland.
A Reform UK spokesperson has since 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.”
They added: “The amendment was intended for England and Wales. So, if you're publishing election material in Hartlepool in Gaelic, then yeah [it would be criminalised].”
Meanwhile, Reform UK MSP Max Bannerman told The National: “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."
Bannerman claimed that the amendment was "about preserving the integrity of elections and ensuring that they are fought in domestic languages, not Urdu or Bengali".
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"This is not about diminishing Scotland’s identity or heritage," he added.
Bannerman continued: “That’s why I’m exploring introducing a bill to the Scottish Parliament to ensure that future Scottish elections are fought in Gaelic, Scots and English only.
“The SNP have failed to protect the integrity of our indigenous languages in favour of manufacturing outrage over non-issues. Reform is putting our money where our mouth is.”
