Reform Scotland candidate not happy with ad campaign against Anas Sarwar

The man who was Reform Scotland’s only MSP has admitted he “wasn’t happy” with an ad campaign against Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar last year as the parties clash in the lead-up to the Holyrood election.

While speaking to reporters in Dundee on Monday, Mr Sarwar claimed Graham Simpson called Reform’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord “useless” and “terrible”.

Mr Sarwar said Mr Simpson also called Thomas Kerr, one of the party’s top Holyrood candidates, a “weasel”.

Earlier, Mr Sarwar said Mr Simpson, who was the party’s only MSP before Parliament was dissolved, was “very apologetic” about the “racist” attack ad his party ran against him. The ad claimed Mr Sarwar would prioritise the Pakistani community in Scotland.

While Mr Simpson has denied all of the claims made by Mr Sarwar, when asked by the Press Association on Tuesday if he would be happy for his party to rerun the ad campaign against Mr Sarwar, he said “no”.

He continued: “I wasn’t happy at the time, although I wasn’t in Reform, I was in the Conservative Party at the time.

“What I saw, I didn’t look at it in a great detail, what I saw didn’t look right to me and I don’t like personal attacks during campaigns, which is why what Anas has been doing has been so disappointing.”

Earlier this month, Reform UK Scotland leader Lord Offord claimed Mr Sarwar had “bounced up” to him at an event in Paisley and offered to work with Reform to remove the SNP – something the Scottish Labour leader denies.

The pair have been locked in a dispute since, with both calling the other a liar. The SNP has claimed it proves Mr Sarwar is in “cahoots” with Nigel Farage.

Mr Simpson, Reform UK candidate for Airdrie, has denied all of the claims made by Mr Sarwar about his party colleagues and that he would accept an apology from the Scottish Labour leader.

He said: “It’s bizarre and it’s disappointing, and I wish he hadn’t done it.

“I actually wish he’d pick up the phone and apologise, and I would accept that, but I don’t suppose he’s going to. He seems to be doubling down on everything he’s saying and it’s all a bit daft.

“This really needs to end and we need to talk about how we improve Scotland and how we make Scotland the most successful part of the United Kingdom.

“If Anas shares the view of Reform, because that’s our ambition, then maybe, maybe we can talk to him, but he really needs to calm down and sort himself out.”