'Floundering' Reform UK chief fails to know names of new Scottish defectors amid Glasgow chaos

Richard Tice visited the Val D’oro chip shop in Glasgow as it was announced Ross Lambie from South Lanarkshire Council and John Gray from Renfrewshire Council have joined the party run by Nigel Farage as defections from the Scottish Conservatives.

But asked what his new colleagues' full names were and what local authorities they represented, all Mr Tice could tell journalists was “John and Ross”.

The gaffe came as Mr Tice set out his opposition to what he called “net stupid zero” and repeated his slogan of “drill Scotland drill”, claiming that Scots were being “conned” over the need to tackle the climate crisis as he vowed to take the Scottish economy back to the 1980s and 1990s.

Read more: How Nigel Farage's Reform UK aims to lob a grenade into Scottish politics

But Mr Tice’s visit and announcement was overshadowed by his failure to know the full names of his new colleagues and what local authorities they represented.

Asked “who are your defectors and what councils are they from”, Mr Tice said: “We’ve got John and Ross”.

Pressed repeatedly for his new recruits’ full name and council area, all Mr Tice could say over and over was “John and Ross”.

He added: “We’ve got 10,000 members. I don’t know all 10,000 members. What we have got is policies that will make people better off in Scotland.”

A Scottish Conservative spokesman said it was “an embarrassing moment for Reform’s deputy leader”.

He added: “You would expect him to have these names etched in his brain, yet he has floundered under basic questioning.”

Mr Tice pointed to the 1980s and 1990s when he said “we had a great oil and gas industry in Scotland”.

He added: “You had highly skilled, highly paid jobs. Those are being destroyed in their tens of thousands.

“We’re the only developed nation that has the incredible luxury of huge amounts of energy treasure under our feet and we’re being stupid enough not to use it. We’re calling out this nonsense.

“Net zero is going to be the key thing at the next general election and we plan to win it. The good people of Scotland realise they’re being conned, they're being lied to, they're being misled - and it’s an outrage. We’re going to take them on.

“That’s why Swinney and co are so absolutely terrified - because they know we’ve got the momentum, we’re going to make people in Scotland better off, we’re going to ensure that people are more prosperous and that’s what we want. “

The vast majority of scientists agree that cutting harmful emissions will curb the rise of global temperatures and is the only credible method of preventing temperatures reaching dangerous levels for the climate and human health.

First Minister John Swinney used a Bute House press conference last month to announce a new summit tackle the threat posed by the “far right”, as the SNP leader claimed Mr Farage was an accomplice to the Russian agenda.

Mr Swinney said he was “very concerned about the rise of far right politics” and argued the “norms of society” were under threat from the surge from Reform.

He said it was important for those who were “repulsed” by the politics of Mr Farage to come together to provide leadership and stress the importance of their shared values.

But Mr Tice branded the assessment from the First Minister as simply “ridiculous insults”.

He added: “They are frightened, they’re anxious, they’re worried.”

Mr Tice hit out at the Scottish Conservatives, who Reform are likely to win seats off at next year’s Holyrood election, according to current polls.

He told journalists that “the Tories are finished here” adding that “they might as well give up, bye-bye”.

Read more: Nigel Farage's Reform UK accused of 'hiding away' from Scottish voters

Mr Tice added: “The Tories are disappearing down the plughole.”

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay branded the two latest defections to Reform as “disappointing”, adding that “anyone voting for Reform or joining Reform only bolsters John Swinney’s government”.

He said: “It is my job as the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives to stand up to the SNP - that’s what I am doing this week, setting out bold proposals for young people who have been let down.

“There is no way of knowing what any individual might do, but I am focused entirely on what we stand for as Conservatives and that is a common sense vision for Scotland.

Read more: Reform not as big an issue for Labour as people think, say pollsters

“I am committed to holding them to account, because every vote for Reform will only benefit the SNP, and people really need to understand that.”

Mr Tice also criticised the Labour party, which he claimed was “sinking because they're having an absolute shocker ruining the country and ruining the prospects for Scotland”.

He he appeared to borrow a couple of policies from Anas Sarwar’s party - a need to cut government waste and to end publicly-funded organisations known as quangos, although Mr Tice was unable to name a single one.

Mr Tice added: “Competition is a good thing.

“If our presence makes the SNP and Labour perform better, the winner is the Scottish people and that’s a good thing.”

Asked by The Scotsman about why Reform UK do not have any devolved policies for Scottish voters, Mr Tice said that “patience is a virtue”, adding that “there will be some specific policies” set out ahead of the Holyrood election next year.

He added that “people want to be better off”, insisting that “all our policies will drive towards that goal”.

Mr Tice added: “If you cut the wasteful spending by the SNP government, then you can cut taxes.”