Tory Lord defects to Reform and launches campaign for Holyrood

Former Conservative life peer Malcolm Offord has defected to Reform UK.

Lord Malcolm Offord was announced by Nigel Farage as the latest defector to join the party during a rally in Falkirk.

The Scottish financier previously served as a Scotland Office minister during the last Conservative government, and was the Scottish Tories’ treasurer at the time of his defection.

Mr Farage said he was “delighted” to welcome Lord Offord to Reform, describing his defection as “a brave and historic act”.

He added: “He will take Reform UK Scotland to a new level.”

During a speech, Lord Offord confirmed he would stand at the Scottish Parliament election in May.

He said he would give up his place in the House of Lords as he prepares to campaign for a seat at Holyrood.

He said he wanted to restore Scotland to a “prosperous, happy, healthy country”.

He told the rally: “Scotland needs Reform and Reform is coming to Scotland.

“Today I can announce that I am resigning from the Conservative Party. Today I am joining Reform UK and today I announce my intention to stand for Reform in the Holyrood election in May next year.

“That means that from today, for the next five months, day and night, I shall be campaigning with all of you tirelessly for two objectives.

“The first objective is to remove this rotten SNP Government after 18 years, and the second is to present a positive vision for Scotland inside the UK, to restore Scotland to being a prosperous, proud, healthy and happy country.”

The Greenock-born businessman was made a life peer in 2021 by then prime minister Boris Johnson and served as a minister of exports from 2023 until the general election in July 2024. He had previously donated nearly £150,000 to the party.

Following his peerage, he was made Baron Offord of Garvel.

He becomes Reform’s latest high-profile defection in Scotland. The party previously announced the defection of Scottish Tory MSP Graham Simpson, who also gave a speech at the Falkirk rally, as well as a host of councillors around the country.

Lord Offord criticised his old for party for having “given up on Scotland”.

Discussing his experiences with the Scottish Tories, the former minister said: “What I found, quite candidly, is a party which is regional not national, parochial not political, timid not ambitious; a party without a vision of how to govern Scotland with a right-of-centre agenda.”

He previously stood for Holyrood in 2021 in the Lothian region but finished fifth.

During his speech to Reform members at the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel, Mr Farage repeated claims that one in three schoolchildren in Glasgow do not speak English as their first language.

Asked about the comments by reporters, Lord Offord said: “I think he’s highlighting an issue which needs to be talked about.”

Asked if the comments represent a “dog whistle”, he continued: “I don’t believe it’s a dog whistle, I think it’s a fact.”