Thomas Kerr, a Reform UK Scotland candidate, has asserted that the Scottish political establishment is “petrified” of his party’s performance in the upcoming Holyrood election. Speaking at a campaign event in Edinburgh on Wednesday, Kerr expressed confidence that Reform UK would send “shockwaves” through the political landscape.
Kerr, who is contesting the Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston constituency, stated he was “very upbeat” about his party’s prospects in Thursday’s election. He appeared to dismiss any post-election alliances with other parties, emphasizing his sole interest in seeing Lord Malcolm Offord elected as first minister.
“I am very, very confident and upbeat that I think we can do very, very well in this election,” Kerr said. “I think we’re going to send shockwaves right across the political establishment. I don’t think people are quite ready for it. And I think that when we have MSPs elected, which I’m very confident of on Friday, you will see a group of people who have never been elected to public office in the Holyrood Parliament properly before.”
He added: “We’re going to go in there and we’re going to challenge the status quo, and we’re going to shake up the political establishment, and that’s why they’re petrified.”
Kerr also reiterated his party’s controversial plan to open migration detention centres in constituencies that elect Scottish Green MSPs. When questioned about a recent YouGov poll indicating that only 19% of voters find such a policy acceptable, Kerr responded: “I don’t care if it’s a vote winner or not. It’s about fairness. It’s about trying to make sure that the public understand what you get when you vote for extremists in the Green Party.”
He argued that the policy is based on principles, not opinion polls, and that voters who support the Greens must accept the consequences, including detention centres in their communities. Kerr clarified that the policy would only apply to constituencies that directly elect a Green MSP, not those elected via regional lists.
“The Greens are currently standing in constituencies across Scotland – including two here in Edinburgh, in Edinburgh Central, where they could win, (and) two in Glasgow, in Glasgow South Side, in Glasgow Maryhill and Kelvin,” Kerr said. “If they win those constituencies, we have been very open and very clear. (Those are) the communities where these would happen, but that wouldn’t happen until after the general election, so there will be one more election as well.”
