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Reform UK’s Scottish Push Sputters as Fifth Candidate Quits

A resurfaced 2018 homophobic joke by leader Malcolm Offord fuels doubts about the party’s readiness for Holyrood.

Overview

  • James Glen withdrew his bid, becoming the fifth Reform UK hopeful to exit since the party unveiled 73 Holyrood candidates at a high-profile launch.
  • The churn began within a day of the launch when Dundee City West pick Stuart Niven was suspended after his disqualification as a company director came to light.
  • Jordan Brown said he was never a candidate for Aberdeen Central, and Roland Jackson said his name was published in error for Mid Fife and Glenrothes.
  • Linda Holt quit after saying the party gave her no support, a decision that followed her eighth-place ranking on the Mid-Scotland and Fife regional list.
  • Leader Malcolm Offord defended himself over a 2018 joke he accepted was probably homophobic, and The Times reported he canceled broadcast interviews as the Daily Record cast the campaign as a meltdown.