🔗 Share this article Reform UK Leader Addresses Movement's Biggest Gathering in Scotland Amid Controversy and High-Profile Switch Nigel Farage spoke to the largest the party's public meeting so far in Scotland, however declined to speak with local journalists afterwards. Instead, recently switched peer Malcolm Offord was left to field questions on claims of discriminatory behaviour and antisemitism linked to the party leader. Welcoming a New Recruit Farage introduced the former Conservative peer and wealthy businessman at a packed event of about 700 supporters at a hotel conference centre in central Scotland. Offord, who served as a Scotland Office minister under the last government and was until recently the Scottish Tory party's chief financial officer, announced his intention to give up his peerage in order to stand for Reform UK in next May’s Holyrood elections. Farage said he was “extremely pleased” to greet the new member. He described the switch as “a courageous and significant move”. Dodging the Press The Reform leader spoke to the crowd following a difficult period which included him delivering a fierce criticism of the broadcaster for questioning him regarding a report into alleged racist and antisemitic behaviour as a youth. But, Farage dodged the expected press huddle post-rally. Questioned why Farage was not available to address growing claims about his past behaviour, Offord said: “You’ll need to ask him that question.” Pressed on whether he believed an apology was necessary for the comments he is said to have made about Jewish students, he stated: “I think that’s something he’ll need to consider with his own advisers.” Defending the Leader Offord insisted that the leader is “morally fit” to be the country's leader and rejected claims of coded political messaging. During his speech, Farage had doubled down on his remarks about pupils in Glasgow who are not native English speakers by asking the rally: “Who authorised the complete transformation of Glasgow's demographics?” Although the first minister, John Swinney condemned Farage’s original remarks as “racist”, and Keir Starmer called them “harmful and polarising”, Offord maintained that Farage was “drawing attention to a real concern” that “voters are discussing”. Growing Confidence The rally, attended by an energetic and enthused crowd of predominantly older, white male backers who bought tickets for the event, highlights Reform's increasing self-assurance before next May’s elections. Although the SNP continues to lead in the polls, Reform UK has gained significant ground in the past year, achieving a quarter of the vote in its first Holyrood byelection test. After the collapse in support for Scottish Labour, the party has often relegated it to third lately, polling up to 22%. Declaring that Reform UK membership in Scotland had quadrupled in the past year to a running total of 12,000, the party chair, David Bull stated his belief it could win around twenty parliamentary seats in May, which would place Reform in “a very strong position” in the Scottish Parliament. Campaign Rhetoric Thomas Kerr, one of Reform’s 19 Scottish councillors, elicited loud cheers as he described Farage as “the future PM of the UK”. He told supporters to “man the barricades as we “challenge the ruling class”, cautioning that “the next five months will be tough”. Although the party has yet to produce a distinct policy platform for Scotland, representatives pledged Reform would “take on the green blob and the net-zero grifters”. The leader personally underlined his delight at Reform's rise as a significant player in Scottish politics in the last year, confessing to supporters that he was once told he “couldn't fill a small venue”. Protests Nearby As the event was taking place, not far away in the heart of Falkirk, demonstrators with opposing views assembled for a now-regular weekly standoff near a hotel where asylum seekers are now housed. A group coordinating protests stated they were motivated by a serious local crime. In an interview, First Minister John Swinney cautioned that the tactic of the far-right is to apportion the blame … to new arrivals and I think that is the root of the poison”. He also made a clear distinction between those who hold far-right views and people with “valid concerns” about strain on public services or community safety.