First Minister John Swinney brands Reform councillor’s Sharia law claims 'ludicrous, absurd and divisive'

Claims made by a Reform UK councillor that Sharia law is being brought to Glasgow have been branded "ludicrous, absurd and divisive" by Scotland's first minister.

Glasgow councillor Audrey Dempsey made the comments during an interview with Sky News Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies.

Speaking at a meeting of the party's local branch, Ms Dempsey said: "When they arrived in this country and they were fitting in with our culture, our values and learning our way of life, that would be more than welcome."

Questioned about what she meant by "our way of life," she replied: "Instead of coming and trying to inflict their culture on other people here, like Sharia law, for instance, they're trying to bring that here, that's just not something we celebrate."

Pressed on who she believes is bringing Sharia law to Scotland, Ms Dempsey stated: "The asylum seekers, some of the asylum seekers, the legal migrants."

Asked where it was happening, she responded: "Do you not have conversations in the street?"

When pushed to clarify her position, Ms Dempsey said: "You just have to take a walk through the streets of Glasgow city centre, any given day."

Read more from Sky News:
UK charters flights to get nationals out of Jamaica
Westlife on 25 years of touring

Ms Dempsey claimed there was "stacks of evidence online," adding: "These migrants are posting themselves, videos of them saying they're coming to the land of milk and honey, they're coming to take over."

Asked to clarify if she believed migrants were coming to "take over," Ms Dempsey added: "I don't quite know what I believe at the moment."

At Bute House in Edinburgh later on Thursday, First Minister John Swinney said he didn't "believe for a moment" migrants were bringing Sharia law to Scotland's biggest city.

He stated: "That's what I think is the danger of where we are just now, that absolutely ludicrous, absurd and divisive comments have been made by the far right that have the risk of undermining community cohesion in Scotland.

"Scotland has been a welcoming country, is a welcoming country, where we attach the greatest significance to cohesion within our communities.

"That's what my leadership in Scotland is all about, and I want to give that principled, values-based leadership that will resist those messages from the far right."

(c) Sky News 2025: First Minister John Swinney brands Reform councillor’s Sharia law claims 'ludi