Scotland's First Minister has launched a fierce attack on Nigel Farage, branding his views on immigration in Glasgow as 'quite simply racist'. The clash erupted after the Reform UK leader claimed soaring numbers of pupils with English as an additional language represented the 'cultural smashing' of Scotland's largest city.
The Spark: School Language Figures Ignite Row
The political firestorm was ignited by new data showing a significant shift in Glasgow's classrooms. The proportion of pupils who do not speak English as their main language has risen from 22.5% in 2019 to 29% last year. In practical terms, this means 20,717 of the city's 71,957 schoolchildren recorded English as an additional language.
Reacting to a Telegraph report on these figures, Nigel Farage stated: 'This is not diversity, as the left always preach, this actually is the cultural smashing of Glasgow. It’s turning it into a completely different city in every way. My question is, who voted for this?'
Swinney's Blunt Retort and Wider Context
John Swinney, the SNP First Minister, did not mince his words when asked about the comments. 'I think Nigel Farage’s comments are just quite simply racist. That’s what they are,' he asserted. Swinney championed multilingualism as a benefit reflecting the diversity of the country and labelled Farage a 'purveyor of racist views'.
The debate sits within a broader context of Glasgow's role in housing asylum seekers and refugees. The city hosts the most asylum seekers of any UK council area, with 3,777 accommodated in flats and hotels under a Home Office deal. Furthermore, Scotland's more generous homelessness rules, which require councils to house all unintentionally homeless people regardless of 'local connection', have made Glasgow a destination for refugees granted status elsewhere in the UK.
This policy is cited as a key factor behind a £66 million overspend on homelessness by Glasgow City Council, as arrivals have increased from cities like London, Manchester, and Liverpool.
Political Repercussions and Union Warnings
The war of words has drawn in other political figures ahead of Farage's planned visit to Scotland for a Reform rally in Falkirk. Thomas Kerr, Reform’s Scottish campaign chair and a Glasgow city councillor, accused Swinney of 'continuous demonisation' and said his language was 'extremely dangerous'.
Adding a strategic warning, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay argued that 'a vote for Reform in Scotland is only going to benefit John Swinney’s SNP', suggesting it could make another five years of SNP government more likely. He also claimed Reform could not be trusted on the issue of preserving the Union.
The stark exchange highlights the deepening political divides over immigration, identity, and policy in Scotland, setting a contentious stage for the ongoing election campaign and beyond.
