Reform UK's leader in Scotland has been accused of going into "hiding" ahead of next week's Clacton by-election. Malcolm Offord has not spoken publicly since July 8 about Nigel Farage's decision to resign his Westminster seat, forcing a poll in the constituency.
Major parties boycott the contest
Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Conservatives have all refused to contest the by-election on August 12, leaving Farage to face his biggest challenge from comedy character Count Binface. Farage is expected to be easily returned to the Commons, but the contest has been branded "pointless" and a "waste of time."
The Daily Record asked Reform UK in Scotland whether Offord or other senior figures would travel to Clacton to campaign for Farage, but received no reply.
Offord's silence and criticism
MSP Thomas Kerr, the party's deputy leader at Holyrood, had previously described the by-election as the "people versus the establishment." He added: "It's our job, Reformers, to make sure the mainstream parties and their lefty lackeys in the press don't win. We'll see you in Clacton, Nigel Farage."
But when it became clear no other established party would contest the poll, Offord on July 8 called the boycott an "establishment stitch-up." The former Tory peer said: "Talk about an establishment stitch-up. That is what it is – no one wants to fight Nigel Farage."
He continued: "At the end of the day, this is an opportunity to knock Nigel Farage out of the ring. He is anti-establishment, he is anti the incumbent parties and he has been a thorn in their side for 25 years. This is an opportunity to knock him out the ring and they're feart."
Alex Kerr, SNP MSP for Hamilton, said: "Malcolm Offord would relish a leisurely yacht trip down the coast to Clacton, yet we've barely heard a peep from him all summer. Is he in hiding?"
"Has Malcom Offord set sail for Clacton or has he laid-up amid rumours Thomas Kerr is plotting a mutiny to seize command? Nigel Farage and Reform are mired in scandal, locked in a bruising battle against a bin. They could not care less about Scotland."
Farage's resignation and scandal
Farage announced he would quit as an MP last month and fight a by-election after intense pressure over unregistered donations of cash and support. In a 10-minute rant on social media, he said: "I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all." He accused the media of harassment and vowed to fight a "people versus the establishment" by-election.
The Reform UK leader has faced calls for an investigation following reports that long-term ally George Cottrell provided undeclared funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected. Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Farage's social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.
Under Commons rules, new MPs must register any gifts worth more than £300 received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift "could not be reasonably thought by others" to relate to their political activities. Farage is already facing a parliamentary standards investigation over a £5 million gift from Reform donor Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP.
