Exclusive:'I don’t make it up as I go along': Reform's only MSP denies party will 'disrupt' Holyrood
John Swinney has warned Nigel Farage would abolish the Scottish Parliament if he becomes first minister.
Reform UK’s only MSP has insisted his party will not “disrupt the Scottish Parliament” after May’s election - refuting claims his party “make it up as you go along” in drawing up policies.
Graham Simpson, who defected from the Scottish Conservatives to Reform in August, has claimed that he alone will be responsible for writing his party’s manifesto ahead of May’s Holyrood election, insisting Nigel Farage will not be involved in setting policy.
According to polls, Reform are forecast to win at least a dozen seats at the election, with some studies placing them as the official opposition at Holyrood, ahead of Scottish Labour as the second largest party.
On Monday, First Minister John Swinney claimed that Mr Farage, who runs Reform UK and hand-picked Scottish leader Malcolm Offord, could scrap the Scottish Parliament, warning the party “loathe” devolution.
Speaking on the the Spotlight podcast, recorded at Glasgow University and to be released later this week, Mr Simpson claimed Reform would not try to abolish the Scottish Parliament.
Podcast host Kez Dugdale, the former Scottish Labour leader, warned that “a lot of people are looking at Reform right now and going I’m not sure you even believe in devolution”.
She added: “Past iterations of your policy platform have been around the abolition of devolution.
“If people vote Reform in the coming elections, what type of parliamentarian will they get?”
In response, Mr Simpson insisted that Reform politicians will not be “there to disrupt the Scottish Parliament” if they are elected in May.
He added: “We believe in devolution. We don’t want independence, despite what some people will say.
“We want to make the Scottish Parliament work better. We want to see the Scottish Government, whoever that is, use the powers that it has, better.”
Ms Dugdale highlighted a lack of any devolved policies from Mr Simpson and Reform - pointing to past comments made by Mr Farage, which have included that “we need to fundamentally rethink the way we fund and organise the NHS”.
Mr Farage has previously, when UKIP leader, claimed “we’re going to have to move to an insurance-based system of healthcare”.
Ms Dugdale said: “In that vacuum, all people have is past clips of what your UK leader Nigel Farage has said about the NHS.
“People in the country are worried that your intent is to bring greater, if not total, privatisation of the NHS.”
In response, Mr Simpson said: “We’re not doing that.”
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He added: “I’m responsible for the manifesto in Scotland. I’m certainly not suggesting that in Scotland. Treatment needs to be free at the point of use.”
But Labour MSP Michael Marra, who also took part in the podcast, interjected, claiming “there’s no democratic processes that formulate your policy, so there’s no accountability”.
Mr Marra added: “If Nigel Farage tells you what to do, you have to do it. Let’s not kid on that it’s a process.”
The Scottish Labour frontbencher stressed he dealt with the party membership, trade unions and others during talks about drawing up his party’s manifesto, which he claimed was “actually based on an analysis of what’s happening”.
“You guys just make it up as you go along”, he added.
In response, Mr Simpson said: “I don’t make it up as I go along.
“Policies for Reform Scotland are driven by myself.”
Asked what Reform UK’s vision for the NHS was, Mr Simpson said he was “determined to drive the quality of housing”.
He added: “If you get that right, people will get healthier.”
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