Cornwall’s political figures have hit back at Reform UK after the party backed a parliamentary amendment to ban the use of Irish (Gaeilge), Scottish Gaelic and Cornish (Kernewek) in electoral campaign material. Uncovered by Byline Times, Reform UK is seeking a six-month custodial sentence for candidates who use any language other than English or Welsh (Cymraeg). Though the party has since attempted to retreat from the position, anger continues to bubble among those in the minority language community.

Outline of Amendment NC107 (Via: UK Parliament)

It is clear the amendment targets languages originating from outside the UK and Ireland — namely Urdu, Punjabi, Polish and Romanian — though Celtic languages would also be included. This is despite the protection afforded to Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Cornish under Part III of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Reform UK, and the broader British far right, have repeatedly scrutinised support given to these languages. In June, Reform Cornwall councillor Sean Smith, who represents St Cleer and Menheniot, questioned public demand for funding to promote and celebrate Kernewek.

Today, comments made by Reform MSP Max Bannerman to The Scotsman attempted to calm the backlash over Scottish Gaelic:

“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.”

This was, however, untrue. Neither was Reform’s claim that it had dropped the motion, having instead postponed it until September for further consideration. In the Cornish context, some political parties may be unable to stand should the amendment pass, including the established Cornish nationalist party Mebyon Kernow. In a public statement on its website, Mebyon Kernow deputy leader Loveday Jenkin said:

“It is ludicrous that Reform UK are seeking to outlaw and criminalise the use of Celtic languages such as Cornish, Irish and Scottish Gaelic (as well as Romani) on election materials.

“I also find it extremely worrying that Reform MPs have such little respect for the Cornish language and the national minority status of the Cornish people. Instead of supporting one of the UK’s historic Celtic languages, they want to send anyone using Cornish on an election leaflet to jail. Madness!

“The clause is so daft that it would even ban Mebyon Kernow activists from campaigning as we would not be allowed to use our party name on election materials – as it is in Cornish!”

Cobblestone Media reached out to Reform UK’s Cornwall branches (West Cornwall and East Cornwall) for comment on the amendment. There was no response from either branch. When Cobblestone reporters contacted Reform Cornwall council leader Paul Ashton, he claimed the Cornwall group had already released a clarifying public statement. This was also untrue.

Image via Creative Commons.