SINN Féin have condemned a proposed amendment to a voting bill by Reform UK which would have criminalised the use of Irish in election materials.
Reform’s amendment to the Representation of the People Bill called for election materials – including placards, posters or other literature – to only be permitted to be in English or in Welsh. Under the proposals, a person breaking the rules could be jailed for up to six months and forced to pay a fine.
Sinn Féin Irish language spokesperson Aisling Reilly MLA described the proposed amendment as a "reckless assault" on Irish language protections.
"This proposal represents a reckless assault on Irish language protections and the rights of Irish speakers," she said.
"The suggestion that someone could face criminal sanctions simply for publishing election material in Irish is deeply concerning and completely unacceptable.
"While Reform now claims this was an administrative error, the fact remains that this proposal was tabled in the British Parliament. It demonstrates a shocking ignorance of the North, our political agreements and the legal protections afforded to the Irish language.
"Time and again, Westminster politicians show they neither understand nor care about the unique circumstances here. Had they done so, they would have known that Irish is an indigenous language protected in law through the Good Friday Agreement and the Identity and Language Act.
"The Irish language has survived generations of discrimination and suppression. It will continue to thrive, and Sinn Féin will continue to stand firmly against any attempt to undermine the rights of Irish speakers."
Max Bannerman, Reform MSP for the Highlands and Islands in Scotland, claimed the amendment would only affect England and Wales.
“This amendment was drafted for application in England and Wales, not Scotland and Northern Ireland."
However, the proposed text of the amendment shows that Scotland and Northern Ireland were intended to be included. It reads: “A person who commits an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction... in Scotland or Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both."
A Reform UK spokesperson has blamed the controversy on an administrative error.
“This was essentially an administrative error. The Table Office changed the amendment to explicitly mention Scotland and Northern Ireland which was not in our original draft.”
