Nigel Farage has claimed Reform UK could take “outright power” at Holyrood in 2031, as he addressed a rally in Aberdeen on Monday evening. The party leader set his sights on becoming the second largest party in May’s election, with total control his aim the next time around.
Polling suggests Reform is currently in a battle for second place with Labour ahead of the May 7 vote, which Mr Farage claimed would be a “breakthrough” moment north of the border. “I do think Scottish politics deserves a jolt, and I do believe that Malcolm Offord is prepared to give the courage and the leadership to take us through May 7, to establish us in Holyrood and to put us in a position where we win outright power, outright control, next time around,” he said.
Speaking to journalists after the event, Lord Offord said he was “in it to win it”, despite what Mr Farage said, adding that they “might have a different opinion” to each other. Lord Offord also addressed what he sees as issues caused by immigration, claiming he had been contacted by a group of GPs from a “regular Scottish town in the central belt” who reported being stretched as a result of people coming to the town, presenting with conditions such as TB, hepatitis C, and HIV. However, when asked to clarify who the doctors were or where they were from, the Reform leader refused to do so.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie criticised Mr Farage’s target for 2031, saying it would mean an SNP-led government returned in May. “His despicable comments underline the reality of what Reform are all about. They do not care about Scotland’s public services, and they do not care about meeting our country’s needs,” she said. SNP leader John Swinney described Mr Farage as a “right-wing extremist” whose views “have no place in Scotland”.
