Lord Malcolm Offord named as Reform UK's first Scottish leader

Former Conservative minister Lord Malcolm Offord has been named as Reform UK's first Scottish leader.

The ex-Scottish Tory treasurer was unveiled by party leader Nigel Farage at an event in Fife.

He will lead the party into May's Scottish Parliament election, with Reform aiming to make a major electoral breakthrough north of the border.

Farage said: "I think we can surprise ourselves with just how many votes we manage to garner in these elections."

He added: "A huge chunk of the Scottish electorate are looking for something different. And they're tired of the decline this country has seen under SNP government."

Lord Offord said momentum in the election contest was with Reform, adding that he saw it as a "two-horse race" with the SNP.

It was widely speculated that Lord Offord would be lined up to lead the party in Scotland following his defection from the Tories in December.

Several recent polls have suggested that Reform are on track to challenge Labour for second place behind the SNP in May's election.

The party has one MSP, Graham Simpson, who defected from the Conservatives in August.

Last month, Reform secured its first success at the ballot box in Scotland by winning a council by-election in West Lothian.

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