Nigel Farage has unveiled Reform UK's first peer after the defection of former Conservative minister Malcolm Offord, but avoided questions from local journalists at a rally near Falkirk. Offord, a millionaire donor and former Scotland Office minister, announced he would give up his peerage to stand for Reform in next May's Holyrood elections.
Farage introduced Offord to a sold-out crowd of about 700 supporters, calling the defection "a brave and historic act." However, the Reform leader skipped the expected press huddle after the event, leaving Offord to field questions about allegations of racism and antisemitism against Farage.
Offord defended Farage as "morally fit" to be prime minister and denied he used dog-whistle politics. He said Farage would need to consider with his own advisers whether to apologise for alleged remarks towards Jewish pupils, as Holocaust survivors have demanded.
The rally comes after a turbulent week for Farage, who launched a tirade against the BBC over questions about a Guardian investigation into his alleged racist and antisemitic behaviour as a teenager. During his speech, Farage doubled down on comments about Glasgow schoolchildren speaking English as a second language, asking: "Who voted for the wholesale change of the population of Glasgow?"
Reform UK has gained significant ground in Scotland, securing 26% of the vote in its first Holyrood byelection test in June. Party chair David Bull said membership in Scotland had quadrupled to 12,000 and predicted the party could win up to 20 MSPs in May.
The event, attended by an energetic crowd of largely male, white, and middle-aged supporters, highlights Reform's growing confidence ahead of next year's Scottish parliament elections. Meanwhile, anti-immigration and anti-racist protesters gathered in Falkirk, where tensions have risen since an asylum seeker appeared in court.
