Reform MSP Graham Simpson 'has confidence' in Malcolm Offord despite homophobic joke

Reform’s only MSP has confirmed he still “has confidence” in the party’s Scotland leader, after revelations surrounding a homophobic joke made in 2018 came to light.

Malcolm Offord is said to have made the joke while giving a Burns Night speech at the London Scottish rugby club.

The joke, which mocked George Michael’s grieving boyfriend Fadi Fawaz, was said to be “crude” and in “bad taste” by an audience member who spoke to the Daily Record newspaper about the incident.

Lord Offord issued a statement in which he described the joke as “crude”.

He said he had intended it to be “edgy and shocking” but “instantly regretted it”.

On Wednesday, Graham Simpson was quizzed by STV News’ political editor Colin Mackay following the final First Ministers’ Questions prior to May’s Holyrood election.

After repeatedly ignoring questions posed at him, including asking to be “left alone” and that he was “going for his lunch”, Simpson finally responded when asked if he “had confidence” in Lord Offord as his party leader.

He replied: “Yes, I do.”

When asked if Offord could remain as leader despite the outrage, he said: “He absolutely can.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the First Minister said the joke was “completely unacceptable and intolerant”.

“If that’s what he thinks and feels, he’s got no role to perform in Scottish politics,” he said of Lord Offord.

“He’s unfit to be the leader of any political party, unfit to be a member of the Scottish Parliament with views and attitudes like that.

“The thing that would worry me, given what I’ve seen of the performance around Reform events, was that if he was to tell that joke at a Reform conference, I suspect lots of people would laugh and applaud, based on what I saw of the launch last week, so I think we’ve got to be really careful as a country about where we’re heading and Reform have got no part to play in it if they represent views of intolerance, prejudice and hatred of that type.”