Petition · past parliament
Recognise native languages of Great Britain and Ireland as co-official in the UK
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
This petition pertains to Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Irish, Welsh, Cornish, Angloromani, Shelta, BSL, ISL and NISL. It aims to legally recognise speakers of the native languages of Great Britain and Ireland as being equal, before the law, with speakers of English, in line with universal human rights.
Article 2 – all individuals are entitled to the rights declared without discrimination based on language.
Article 10 – individuals are entitled to a fair trial, and this is generally recognized to involve the right to an interpreter if an individual does not understand the language used in criminal court proceedings, or in a criminal accusation. The individual has the right to have the interpreter translate the proceedings, including court documents.
Article 19 – individuals have the right to freedom of expression, including the right to choose any language as the medium of expression.
Article 26 – everyone has the right to education, with relevance to the language of medium of instruction.
Article 10 – individuals are entitled to a fair trial, and this is generally recognized to involve the right to an interpreter if an individual does not understand the language used in criminal court proceedings, or in a criminal accusation. The individual has the right to have the interpreter translate the proceedings, including court documents.
Article 19 – individuals have the right to freedom of expression, including the right to choose any language as the medium of expression.
Article 26 – everyone has the right to education, with relevance to the language of medium of instruction.
Why it was rejected
It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.
We're not sure exactly what you'd like the UK Government or Parliament to do. In particular, we're not sure what you mean by making speakers of these languages "equal before the law" with speakers of English.
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you'd like the UK Government or Parliament to do. For example, you could start a petition calling for the Government to recognise certain languages as official languages. If you want to call for changes to the law, you'll need to explain clearly what you want to happen.
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you'd like the UK Government or Parliament to do. For example, you could start a petition calling for the Government to recognise certain languages as official languages. If you want to call for changes to the law, you'll need to explain clearly what you want to happen.
Timeline
| 26 Mar 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 9 Apr 2019 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
9 Apr 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.