Nigel Farage has claimed that Glasgow is being “turned into a completely different city in every way” as a result of migration.
The Reform UK leader was responding to a report in The Telegraph which revealed that 29% of pupils in Glasgow schools spoke English ‘as an additional language’.
However, Glasgow City Council officials told the paper that not all of the English learners were new arrivals and noted that the number of overseas enrolments had decreased by over 1,000 during the 2025/26 academic year.
Farage has pledged to focus on the figure ahead of a rally in Falkirk this weekend, remarking in a social media video: “We are going to make this a really big issue.
“This is unfair on taxpayers in Scotland and across the wider UK that people like this should come into Britain illegally and we should spend this kind of money on them.”
He added: “This is not diversity, as the left always preaches. This actually is the cultural smashing of Glasgow. It is turning it into a completely different city in every way. My question is: Who voted for this? Who told anyone in Scotland that this was happening?
“Just think culturally, what it means for Glasgow and indeed, in many ways, for the future of Scotland.”
Farage has previously said he has felt ‘awkward’ when hearing languages other than English.
However, his second wife, German-born Kirsten Mehr, speaks both English and German, and his current long-time partner, Laure Ferrari, is from France.Councillors from the Scottish Green Party reacted strongly to Farage’s comments.
Blair Anderson, who represents Patrick East and Kelvindale, commented online: “Very proud to live in a city full of so many talented, multilingual young people… Reform should leave our kids alone.”
Fellow Green Jon Molyneux (Pollokshields) quipped: “Mon the polyglots! The only language you know is hate (and your maths is dodgy too).”
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council told The Telegraph: “Glasgow thrives as a city enriched by many different languages and cultures, and we proudly celebrate this diversity and the positive impact it brings to all our school communities.
