The Scottish leader of Reform UK, Malcolm Offord, has stated that the party would not consider a second independence referendum for at least a decade. Speaking at a press conference, he urged Scots to “deal with the constitution later” and focus on economic prosperity.
Offord appealed to “moderate Unionists no longer represented by the Tories” and “rational nationalists no longer represented by the SNP” to find common ground. He said that Reform UK is the only party with a vision to unite Scots around prosperity and justice, and that a 10-year period is needed to “turbocharge the economy” and improve public services.
He outlined plans to realign Scotland’s tax system with the rest of the UK and implement a 1p-in-the-pound income tax cut, with a total reduction of 3p over five years. Offord stressed that he is not ruling out a future referendum but opposes any distraction from economic recovery in the short term.
Scots voted 55% to 45% to reject independence in 2014, though the issue remains prominent. Offord was announced as Reform UK’s Scotland leader just 11 days ago.
SNP depute leader Keith Brown criticised Reform UK, stating that Nigel Farage has been “candid that he wants to privatise our NHS” and “couldn’t care less about Scotland”. He contrasted this with John Swinney’s focus on the NHS and cost-of-living crisis, urging voters to back the SNP in May for independence.
