Two of Reform UK's candidates for the Holyrood election have been accused of hypocrisy over their stance on immigration, following revelations about their past activities.
Candidate's Past Funding Application
Faten Hameed, the party's candidate for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, previously applied for £154,266 in public funding to support a 'comprehensive support and integration programme' for refugees, asylum seekers, and ethnic minorities in Glasgow. This comes despite her statement in a television interview that illegal immigrants should be placed in camps and deported.
Ms Hameed, who moved to Scotland from Iraq 30 years ago and has previously stood as a candidate for both Labour and the Conservatives, made the comments during an interview with Sky News last year. She said: 'Put them in camps and deport them.'
However, records show that as chairwoman of the Scottish Iraqi Association, she unsuccessfully sought funding from the Glasgow Communities Fund for 2026-29. The proposed project would have provided advice, language support, employability training, mental health workshops, and cultural activities aimed at 'tackling poverty, reducing social isolation, and promoting equal opportunities'. An overview of the project stated that it 'aligns with Glasgow's priorities of inclusion, equalities, and poverty reduction, ensuring vulnerable groups receive the support they need to thrive'.
Another Candidate's Asylum Work
Reform's Dunfermline candidate, Otto Inglis, is a former asylum caseworker who was singled out for appreciation in a Scottish Refugee Council report. The report called for more support for asylum seekers and demanded 'simple changes to the asylum process', including that 'support should be maintained for refused asylum claimants'.
Mr Inglis, who lists his former roles as including a welfare rights lawyer and asylum caseworker, was credited in a 'special appreciation' section of the '21 Days Later' report.
Reform UK's Immigration Focus
The party has placed immigration at the centre of its Holyrood election campaign, launching an advertising campaign that pledges to stop Glasgow from becoming 'the UK's illegal migrant capital' and warns that 'Scotland is at breaking point'.
Political Reaction
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton condemned the candidates, stating: 'These revelations expose the hypocrisy of two leading Reform candidates. They're talking tough on immigration now, with one crank candidate even proposing setting up deportation camps, but their past activities expose them as opportunistic chancers. How on earth can Scots trust these wannabe MSPs on the crucial issue of immigration when their past actions are completely at odds with the policies they now purport to support?'
She added: 'The Scottish Conservatives actually have a plan to tackle illegal immigration at source, along with reinstating the local connection rule for housing applications – which the SNP irrationally dropped – to stop major cities like Glasgow becoming a magnet for asylum seekers. That's why you need to vote for us on your peach ballot.'
Reform UK's Response
A Reform UK spokesman defended the candidates, saying: 'Faten Hameed has always been clear: illegal migration must be stopped and those with no right to remain should be removed. The project she was involved in was focused on practical community support and reducing pressures at a local level, something that benefits both residents and authorities regardless of broader policy views. Reform UK's focus is fixing the system so these stopgap measures aren't needed in the first place. As for Otto Inglis, he has never seen this document you refer to before nor does he endorse it.'
