Malcolm Offord, the leader of Reform UK in Scotland, has been branded “tone deaf” and “entitled” after boasting in a televised election debate about his extensive property and asset portfolio. The multimillionaire financier, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform in January, told the STV debate on Tuesday evening that he owns six houses, five cars and six boats, having arrived in London 40 years ago with £2,000 of debt.
During the debate, Offord asked Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer whether his ideal Scotland would have “more people like me, or fewer people like me”. Greer replied “fewer people like you”, adding that he was glad Offord had finally admitted how many homes he owns. Greer highlighted that there are three times as many holiday homes and empty properties in Scotland as homeless children, telling Offord: “You don’t need six homes, you don’t even need two homes, everyone just needs a home to live in.”
Labour leader Anas Sarwar called Offord “entitled” and said the idea that he would stand up for working people was “for the birds”. SNP leader John Swinney, speaking at a campaign event in Edinburgh on Wednesday, described the remarks as “a revelation that was tone deaf”, adding: “Lord Offord was essentially bragging about his wealth and I don’t think that is the way to engage with voters.” Swinney said he would be “very happy” to publish his own tax return and called on all party leaders to do so before the 7 May election.
Offord, who previously refused to disclose his wealth as a private matter, has faced criticism earlier in the campaign for missing a weekend of campaigning to sail his yacht, Braveheart, in a Channel regatta. He laughed off that criticism, saying: “I’m trying to take this seriously, I mean heaven forbid a man has a hobby, right?” If elected to Holyrood, he will be required to detail his shareholdings and properties in a register of interests. Property records show homes in Edinburgh, Greenock, and Knightsbridge, London, as well as a £1.6m mansion on Loch Lomond bought without a mortgage.
Stella Rooney, spokesperson for tenants’ union Living Rent, said: “When the majority of people are struggling to afford rent or mortgage costs or are stuck in temporary accommodation, it is hard to believe that anyone owning multiple homes would understand anything about the housing crisis, let alone have any sort of plan to fix it.” Chris Birt, Scotland director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said on a recent podcast: “It’s not a sustainable position where people can have multiple homes where there are people in our country who have none.” Reform UK has not responded to questions about whether Offord will publish his tax returns or confirm the locations of his homes.
