More Scots Reform Holyrood election candidates drop out


The party’s Scottish press officer north of the border, Amanda Crawford, has also quit.
Three candidates have either dropped off the constituency or regional list - or both - for the May 7 poll. It takes the number who will no longer stand as intended to eight.
The party’s Scottish press officer north of the border, Amanda Crawford, has also quit.


Reform UK is set to have a breakthrough election in five weeks’ time, with polls suggesting it will win 20 seats.
But the campaign has been dogged with issues.
By Tuesday, four candidates had pulled out and another was suspended.
But when councils published official lists of the candidates on Tuesday evening, another three were gone.
Faten Hameed had been the Reform candidate for Strathkelvin and Bearsden as well as being 7th on the West of Scotland regional list.
She is still the constituency candidate but is no longer on the List.
Mark Wallis had been sixth on the same list but has dropped off.
In Eastwood, Reform had announced Donald MacNiven as their candidate, and he was ninth on the West of Scotland List.
But East Renfrewshire Council documents show John Mooney as the constituency candidate.
There had already been a spate of dropouts.
Dundee City West hopeful Stuart Niven was suspended less than 24 hours after he was announced after it emerged he was disqualified as a company director.
Aberdeen Central candidate Jordan Brown then told Aberdeen University’s newspaper The Gaudie: "I'm not a candidate."
Mid Fife and Glenrothes’ Roland Jackson, said he never intended to stand for family reasons, but his name “was published prematurely in error”.
North East Fife candidate Linda Holt, who described former SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf as an “Islamist moron”, went after saying she had received a lack of support from Reform.
Edinburgh North Western’s James Glen also stood down because “I fully support Linda in her decision and the reasons behind it. I wish the candidates the very best.”
Reform party bosses chose the party list rankings, rather than members doing so.
Scottish leader Malcolm Offord said on Wednesday that some candidates were dropping out because they were unhappy with the list selection.
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