Reform suspends Holyrood candidate less than 24 hours after being announced

Reform UK has suspended one of its Holyrood candidates less than 24 hours after his selection was confirmed by the party.

Stuart Niven was announced as Reform’s Dundee City West candidate on Thursday afternoon, but just hours later, allegations emerged about his financial conduct.

The Herald reported Niven had been banned from acting as a company director for seven years after diverting thousands of pounds from a taxpayer-backed Covid loan into his personal account.

Reform UK Scotland confirmed on Friday that Niven has been suspended pending further investigation into allegations regarding his financial conduct.

A spokesperson said: “We take allegations like this very seriously, and a full investigation is under way.”