I’ve lost friends for joining Reform, says Scottish leader Malcolm Offord

Malcolm Offord has said he has lost friends over his decision to join Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

The former Tory minister, who is now the party’s Scottish leader, blamed the “unfair” way Reform has been branded for the loss of friendships.

But he said it was a “sacrifice” he had to make “if I believe in the cause of what I’m trying to do”.

The millionaire businessman defected to Reform in December and in January was appointed as its first Scottish leader.

Polls show the party polling in second or third place in Scotland ahead of the Holyrood election in May.

Speaking to BBC Scotland’s Scotcast podcast, Lord Offord said his defection came with a personal cost.

Asked if he had lost friends for joining the party, he said: “Yes, I have. Not what I would call my closest friends. I’ve lost situational friends.

“Certainly I’ve lost some friends, clearly, in the Conservative Party who are no longer friends, but that’s because we’re in this business and you have to roll with that.

“Have I lost a close buddy? No.”

He added: “A couple of people have said to me, ‘we just can’t support what the party stands for’, and I’ve said, ‘Well, yes, but you know also what I stand for’, and they made a distinction, ‘yeah, we know you’re different, but now you’ve got that badge we just can’t support that anymore’. So yeah, I’ve had that.”

But he said losing friendships is something he is willing to do as he bids to improve life in Scotland.

“I want Scotland to be successful,” he said. “I want people to have more meaningful lives.

“I want us to have better public services. I want us to have cohesive communities. We don’t have that at the moment.”

Lord Offord said he has never been ready to “settle for the quiet life”, adding: “When I left Greenock, everybody from Greenock went to Glasgow University. Well, I went to Edinburgh. Why was that?

“Then, when I was at Edinburgh University, everybody then went to work as a lawyer in Edinburgh or Glasgow. I went to London. Well, why did I do that?

“I then started a banking career. I then said I didn’t want to do banking anymore and I took a pay cut to go and do a different job. Why would I do that?

“I’ve always sort of taken the road slightly less travelled. I’m comfortable with that.”