Moral Leadership Matters

The Sky News interview with far-right Reform UK candidates exposed something deeply troubling about public debate. In a calm exchange with journalist Connor Gillies, a former Labour politician claimed asylum seekers are “bringing Sharia law to Glasgow,” while another candidate, herself a former refugee, proposed “deportation camps.”

It was a stark glimpse into how far racist stereotypes about refugees have entered mainstream politics. At Positive Action in Housing, we support over 4,000 refugees and asylum seekers each year—people rebuilding their lives, working, studying, and caring for families. To portray them as a cultural threat is false and dehumanising.

That such rhetoric can be voiced publicly without challenge shows how fear and misinformation have warped public discussion. Most people seeking safety want only to live peacefully and contribute. When cruelty is normalised, moral leadership becomes essential.

Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, offered that leadership. Rejecting calls for deportation camps as “utterly repugnant” and divisive rhetoric as “repulsive,” he drew a clear line between disagreement and dehumanisation. His words mattered—for their principle, not their politics.

The interview also showed how easily falsehoods spread when left unchallenged. Pushback protects both truth and the wellbeing of those too often spoken about but seldom heard.

Deportation camps are not only morally indefensible but economically absurd. They would cost millions, cause suffering, and achieve nothing but division. Refugees want to work and contribute. Punishing them for seeking safety is cruelty disguised as policy.