Malcolm Offord: I don't mind being the bogeyman of Scottish politics
The Scotsman joined Reform UK’s Scottish leader at a driving range in Glasgow to talk politics and cosy clubs
Malcolm Offord has brought his own golf balls to the driving range, each imprinted with the logo of a Scottish political party. "The question is, which one do you want to smack first?" he asks.
The leader of Reform UK in Scotland - who was made a life peer by the Tories in 2021 but defected to Nigel Farage’s outfit at the end of last year - is out to disrupt the "cosy club" in Holyrood.
If polls are to be believed, his party is on course for a spectacular breakthrough at the election next month, potentially becoming the second largest force in the Scottish Parliament. But it has also been dogged by claims of racism, which Lord Offord insists are unfounded.
As part of a series of leader interviews, The Scotsman joined him at a driving range in Glasgow to practise our swings and find out a little bit more about the man leading the most talked-about and divisive party of this election campaign.
How does it feel to be the bogeyman of Scottish politics? "Well, I don't know anything different, because I'm new to this myself and Reform UK is new to this,” he says.
"Bogeyman? Fine, don't mind you using that expression. I would say that at the end of the day we're the new kids on the block.
"We have come in to disrupt, but in a positive way. We want to challenge the status quo. We think there's a cosy consensus at the moment between all the establishment parties.
"That's why at the moment we're looking at a record low turnout. Voters have lost confidence in the politicians; I think they want to see something new."
Lord Offord says Reform are “here for working people”. The party wants to cut tax and “create pathways to work”, while prioritising locals.
The respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) dismissed its tax plans as “not credible” and “unserious at best”. Lord Offord says the IFS "is not an independent think tank”.
First Minister John Swinney, the leader of the SNP, has said racism is partly behind rising support for Reform in Scotland.
"I don't understand why people are using this word,” Lord Offord says. “I observe that they won't deal with me on the arguments. They only deal with me on emotion.
"The argument that I'm using around, for example, asylum seekers is that here we are in Glasgow - Glasgow has got 1 per cent of the UK population, it's housing 6 per cent of UK asylum seekers, that's costing £55 million per year on temporary accommodation, which is 15 per cent of council tax. Nothing in that sentence is racist."
He adds: "We don't talk about race. It's only the other parties that seem to talk about race. Labour talks about race and the SNP talk [about it]. We don't talk about race. We're not talking about race.
"We're talking about the fact that our services are under strain, that a lot of people have come to this country illegally.
“Even the ones that came legally in the last four years have come in such numbers, uncontrolled numbers, it’s put a strain on public services, and local people are noticing that."
Opponents using personal insults - Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has called him “a pathetic, odious little man” - only “tells me I’m winning,” Lord Offord insists.
”You know the expression in football, when you play the man not the ball. I'm playing the ball and I'm dribbling through, and if I've dribbled past them and they come at me and chop me down, playing the man not the ball, it's because they don't want to deal with me on the issues."
He later adds: "If all you've got to respond to my argument is to call me a racist, I know I've won the argument."
Reform’s apparent success, he argues, is down to its authenticity. “We say it as it is,” he says. “Sometimes that is uncomfortable. Sometimes it even upsets people. Sometimes it even offends people.
"But do you know what, we're honest and authentic and we're reflecting the views of real people. We're saying what they think, what they're concerned about in their daily lives, and we're saying we're going to do something to fix it."
Prior to politics, Lord Offord was a successful financier, and his wealth has been the object of some fascination. Asked if he is a multimillionaire, he says he has "a certain amount of net worth".
He owns “a couple of yachts” and enjoys classic cars. “I think they're a lovely thing to have,” he says of the latter. “Once again, these are things that when somebody works hard and makes some money, they're allowed to indulge themselves a little bit."
He was made a life peer after donating almost £150,000 to the Conservatives, but insists the two things are “not linked at all”. But how is Lord Offord of Garvel, the wealthy financier turned politician, not a member of the establishment?
"I'm not a member of the establishment,” he replies. “I'm a member of Reform UK, and I've left the House of Lords. I gave up my seat. And I didn't come from privilege, I was born in a tenement in Greenock. Who cares about the title? I'm just a regular bloke."
Does he ever regret giving up his past life to become leader of Reform UK in Scotland?
"No, I don't regret it. I have to say, in a strange sort of way I'm actually enjoying it. I enjoy campaigning, I love campaigning.
"At the end of the day, politics is about people. I love people, I like being around interesting people, real people, and that's what politics is all about."
His golf was probably better before, he jokes. For the benefit of our camera, he works his way through the balls emblazoned with the party logos. “Give Anas a smack in the chops,” he says, as he tees up the Scottish Labour ball and cracks it into the distance.
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