Malcolm Offord does not 'judge' candidate who called Humza Yousaf 'Islamist'
The Reform UK leader defended his MSP candidates who have made controversial comments, saying they are “real people with real opinions”.
Malcolm Offord has said he does not “judge” the Scottish Reform UK candidate who called Humza Yousaf an “Islamist”.
The Reform UK leader defended his MSP candidates who have made controversial comments, saying they are “real people with real opinions”.
He also said people should “take less offence” to comments like one of his candidates calling for Muslims to be deported.
Linda Holt, Reform UK’s candidate in North East Fife, is said to have branded former SNP first minister Humza Yousaf an “Islamist moron”, “a brown FM” and “not British”.
Senga Beresford, the candidate in Galloway and West Dumfries, called for all Muslims to be deported and supported the far right Tommy Robinson. She told the former English Defence League leader that she was “behind you all the way”.
When asked if he had ever described people in the same way that his candidates had, Mr Offord told BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show: “Look, I'm not getting into all the individual candidates.
“We have got 80 per cent of our candidates are not politicians. That means they're not scripted. They're real people with real opinions.
“And people in the life say things they might use intemperate language, but we're not here to judge that.”
When asked if he had used the same language, he said: “Well, as far as I'm aware, I have not used that language. We've all, at times, used intemperate language.
“We have free speech in this country, and I think perhaps people should take a little bit less offence.”
When asked about a candidate’s tweet referencing Mr Yousaf’s skin colour, he said: “I think that was the timing of that was probably just immediately after the October 7 attack, and I think he was using some provocative language.
“I'm not going into the rights and wrongs of it. These, these things happen online, and the issue with today in the modern world is this is all now recorded and registered and brought back.”
When asked what term he would use to describe someone who make derogatory remarks about someone’s skin colour, Mr Offord replied: “I'm not getting... We've been through all that.
“We vetted all the candidates. We went through all the social media history where we do suspend is what we think there's been some irregularity or some, some misdemeanour, proper misdemeanour, but we're not going to suspend on previous tweets and personal opinions.”
On Ms Beresford backing Tommy Robinson, Mr Offord said: “I think, as I say, that was before she was a member of Reform, she was a private individual.
“At that moment when our candidates step up now to the plate and become NSPS, they will now be scrutinized and everything they say, and there'll be a higher standard.
“She would say that was intemperate language. She should apologise for that. But you know what? We move on. She's a good person. She’ll be a very first class MSP.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “Lord Offord’s car-crash interview laid bare a man who is completely out of his depth and simply doesn’t understand Scotland or the problems it faces.
“Worse still, he has shown he is too weak to stand up to the extremists in his own ranks.
“He is a leader without followers, fronting a party without answers, and Scotland will see straight through it.
“Only Scottish Labour can fix the SNP’s mess, get the basics right and build a better future for Scotland.”
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