Tice hails Offord’s leadership amid ‘potholes’ in Reform’s Holyrood campaign

Richard Tice has praised Reform UK’s Scottish leader as he admitted to “potholes” in the party’s Holyrood election campaign.

The Reform deputy leader backed Malcolm Offord, who has faced questions over his leadership after controversies around the party’s candidates.

At least eight candidates have dropped out of the race since Nigel Farage revealed their names two weeks ago.

Some have faced criticism over previous comments, including one candidate who backed Tommy Robinson and called for Muslims to be deported, and another who described former first minister Humza Yousaf as an “Islamist” and said he was not British.

Speaking in Aberdeen on Wednesday, Lord Offord said he knew about his candidates’ social media comments before they were reported in the media, telling journalists he believes in the right to free speech before admitting “personally I wouldn’t have said some of those comments”.

He added: “I’m not here to judge people’s previous opinions.”

Asked about Lord Offord’s leadership at the same event, Mr Tice said the former Tory minister is “doing an incredible job”.

He said: “We’ve gone from nowhere in the polls, everybody 12-18 months ago said we won’t get any MSPs.

“Under Malcolm’s leadership and the whole incredible team here, I think remarkable things are going to happen.

“The job of the press is to scrutinise us, and of course, there are potholes in the road, some call them bumps.

“Potholes in council campaigns are a key, key thing, and we just drive through the potholes, and we will fill them in.

“That’s our objective across the UK and the councils that we will win, so we’re pushing on and we’re very proud of what everybody in Scotland is doing.”

Lord Offord also admitted to “bumps in the road” but said he is “proud that 80% of our candidates have not been politicians before”.

He was asked about a report in the Daily Record that he missed weekend election campaigning because he was at a yachting competition in the English Channel.

Lord Offord said: “God forbid a man has a hobby and takes a day off at Easter.”

A Norstat poll at the weekend found Reform support in Scotland has fallen to its lowest level in more than a year at 15%, putting the party in third place behind the SNP and Labour.

An Ipsos poll on Wednesday suggested Reform support has dipped by one point to be tied with Labour on 15%.

Mr Tice, the MP for Boston and Skegness, suggested the party will outdo the polls because there are “a lot of shy Reformers out there”.

Asked why, he said some members of the press “might be sometimes a little bit beastly to them”.