Overview
- Announced at a Fife press conference, Offord signed paperwork to retire from the House of Lords effective January 30 and will stand in the May 7 Scottish Parliament election.
- Farage described himself as the party’s ultimate leader with final decision-making power, while Offord—appointed rather than elected by members—said he will draft a Scotland-specific manifesto.
- Reform UK plans to field candidates in all 73 constituencies, with a full slate due in early March and policies to be unveiled in the weeks before polling day.
- Farage cast the contest as a two-horse race with the SNP, though a new Survation poll reported by The Times places Reform level with Labour for second and suggests momentum may be stalling.
- Rivals criticised the move, with First Minister John Swinney calling Reform a ‘recycling machine for the Tory party’ and SNP and Green figures pressing Offord on positions including energy costs, education, poverty and potential NHS charges.