An amendment tabled by Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice would make it a criminal offence to use Irish, Scottish Gaelic, or Cornish on election materials anywhere in the United Kingdom.

The proposal, attached to the Representation of the People Bill currently before Parliament, stipulates that all campaign posters, placards, and literature must be written exclusively in English or Welsh. Anyone breaching the restriction could be jailed for up to six months and face a fine.

Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary of Irish-language promotion body Conradh na Gaeilge, said the measure would contradict obligations under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to protect Irish. He described it as a throwback to the Penal Laws, noting that the last legal restriction on the use of Irish in courts was abolished as recently as last year.

The amendment has drawn support from six other Reform MPs: Lee Anderson, Sarah Pochin, Danny Kruger, Robert Jenrick, Andrew Rosindell, and Suella Braverman.

The bill itself would lower the voting age to 16 and 17 for general elections. Mr de Spáinn urged MPs to ensure the amendment is rejected.

Criticism has also emerged from Scotland, where the SNP called for its withdrawal, and from Cornwall, where five of the region's six MPs signed a joint statement describing it as a direct attack on Cornish identity.

Under the Good Friday Agreement, the British government committed to recognising and promoting the Irish language. The last Penal-era law restricting Irish in Northern Ireland courts was removed in 2023.