The newly appointed leader of Reform UK in Scotland has called for any potential second referendum on Scottish independence to be postponed for at least a decade, arguing the nation must first focus on fixing its economy.
Offord Outlines Reform's Scottish Vision
Lord Malcolm Offord, who defected from the Conservative Party in December 2025, made the comments during an interview with BBC Scotland's Sunday Show on 18 January 2026. He stated that the party, which he said was appointed by Nigel Farage but is "relatively new" in Scotland, is currently writing a manifesto for devolved matters ahead of the Holyrood election in May 2026.
Lord Offord emphasised that Nigel Farage "would not be dictating the policies" for Scotland, and revealed the party plans to field candidates from professional backgrounds like education, law, and medicine in all 73 constituencies, moving away from "career politicians".
A Decade to Fix the Economy
Central to Offord's argument is a demand for a political pause on constitutional debates. He labelled First Minister John Swinney's call for a referendum if the SNP wins a majority as a "doomloop", claiming doorstep conversations reveal Scots are "sick and tired" of the issue.
"Can we just park it," Offord said. "I think it needs two terms of Holyrood to focus on the day job. That's 10 years. Can we please fix our economy, get our growth back, get our revenues up, come back for this later – but not now."
He argued the economy "had to be the focus for the next 10 years", criticising what he described as the creation of a "welfare economy". Offord pointed out that of Scotland's 3.5 million people of working age, one million do not work, and the challenge was to "find a way to help those folks work".
He claimed people in Scotland are "being taxed too much" and that the system is squeezing those with "broad shoulders". His solution is to grow the economic base to support welfare spending, stating "we all want all the welfare but lets grow the economy".
Policy Pledges and Political Reaction
During the interview, the former businessman pledged full transparency regarding his wealth and tax affairs. On the NHS, he quoted its founder Aneurin Bevan, stating "of course" it should remain free at the point of use and that "there is no plan to charge for seeing a GP".
The comments prompted a sharp response from the Scottish Conservatives. Andrew Bowie MP accused the SNP of being "in love with Reform", suggesting that Reform splitting the pro-union vote would help nationalists secure a Holyrood majority.
"Any MSPs he does get elected will be meek on the union and step aside for John Swinney’s indyref carnival that never leaves town," Bowie said. He further claimed Reform might even field pro-independence candidates and that Farage was "relaxed" about the prospect of another five years of SNP control.
The Scottish Government was contacted for a response following Lord Offord's interview.
