Reform’s threat that if people don’t vote for them they could have detention centres in their area has been branded “poisonous”.
The party, led by Nigel Farage and by Malcolm Offord in Scotland, said it would set up detention centres to hold “illegal immigrants” before deporting them but not in areas with a Reform MP or Reform led council.
Instead, they said they would prioritise areas with a Green MP, MSP or Green led council.
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Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader said it was poisonous.
He said: “These aren't serious people. They aren't serious ideas. And it's all designed to create noise and to create division and to try and get attention.
"And the reason why they're doing it is because they're not interested in changing their country.
“They aren't interested in fixing the issues. All they're interested in doing is playing on people's fears or trying to get attention.
“And that's why I want the poison of reform to get rejected on Thursday.
Ross Greer, Green co-leader, said: “That is evil. That is genuinely wicked politics, especially to do it in an area where people voted in a way that Reform and Nigel Farage don’t like.
“Reform are openly threatening voters, whether it’s Edinburgh Central, Glasgow Southside, or people who intend on voting Green either on the regional list here in Scotland or down south in the English council elections.”
Speaking in Larkhall to reporters, Malcolm Offord said the people who would be targeted for detention camps were here “illegally”.
He said: “They’re not refugees from war torn countries arriving with their wife and family. I’ve met them, I know who they are.
“They are economic migrants. They’ve come here because they are getting a very good deal here at the front of the queue for housing and health, to the detriment of local people”
When the Glasgow Times put to him, ‘if they are illegal, they are not entitled to recourse to public funds’ Offord replied: “But they are, the system has so many loopholes.
“On their phone they will have their National Insurance number and their Universal Credit smart code.
“And they will be able to use that to get to the front of the queue. They have just arrived here, got to the front of the queue, that’s not fair.”
When told that people who arrive though “irregular routes” under the UN Convention on Refugees, they can’t be penalised, he said: “This is because the legal loopholes are now, you can call it what you like, dress it up in any language you like but what local people see, a chap came up to me the other day, unprompted, and I said ‘what’s the biggest issue?’ and he said’ we can’t get houses, I’ve got three kids and we can’t get a bigger house’.”
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