Farage defends Scottish Reform leader Offord over homophobic joke

Nigel Farage has defended Reform UK's Scottish leader after it emerged Malcolm Offord told a homophobic joke at a rugby club dinner in 2018 for which he later apologised.

The Reform UK leader said: "If we're going to drum people out of public life for telling a joke at a boozy rugby club dinner that's amongst friends, we'll finish up with the dullest group of individuals, looking a bit like, sounding a bit like Keir Starmer."

Farage said that "when you take something as it is, yeah of course, it looks awful".

But he added that there was context and he understood that, even on the evening in question, Offord had "probably regretted doing it".

Speaking at the launch of Reform UK's local English election campaign in Sunderland, Farage added: "This sort of po-faced, purism attitude to anything anyone's ever said when they're with a group of mates, frankly, is ridiculous".

Offord, who apologised soon after making the remark, denied he was homophobic. The joke incident came back into public view this week following a story published by the Daily Record.

Graham Simpson, who was elected a Scottish Conservative MSP in the last Holyrood parliament but defected to Reform UK last year, backed his party leader.

However, First Minister John Swinney said Offord was "unfit" to be involved in Scottish politics.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Offord said he had made the "crude joke" after having had "a bit to drink" at the London Scottish rugby club while he was serving as chairman.

He said the remarks were about the late singer George Michael, who died on Christmas Day in 2016, "as I had been connecting his songs to Burns's works".

The joke referenced Fadi Fawaz, Michael's former partner, putting the singer's cremated remains into a curry, going on to make a crude reference to sex acts.

The Reform chief insisted the joke was intended to be "funny through being edgy and shocking", but said he had made attendees uncomfortable and had "instantly regretted it".

Offord added that he apologised at the time and made a donation to an LGBT rugby club.

Asked about Offord's comments by BBC news, Thomas Kerr, a Reform member on Glasgow City Council, said: "It was an offensive joke that I found was offensive and so did Malcolm - that's why he apologised eight years ago.

"I think it says a lot about a man who made a mistake and apologised straight away, who made amends with the people in that room and our opponents are now drudging up something that happened eight years ago."

He added: "I would much rather have a politician who puts his hands up and apologises when he is in the wrong, than someone who digs their feet in like other party leaders have done before."

When pressed on whether the remarks were homophobic, Kerr said: "They were not remarks I'd have used, Malcolm apologised for them."

On Wednesday, when asked about Offord in the Scottish Parliament, Swinney told journalists: "He's unfit to be leader of any political party, unfit to be a member of the Scottish Parliament with views and attitudes like that."

He added: "I think we've got to be really careful as a country about where we are heading, and Reform have got no part to play in it if they represent views of intolerance, prejudice and hatred of that type."

Meanwhile, a Reform UK candidate who was criticised for calling former First Minister Humza Yousaf a "grandstanding Islamist moron" has quit, citing lack of support from the party.

Linda Holt was standing in the Fife North constituency, but confirmed she had withdrawn her candidacy.

Her previous social media posts came to light when Reform's candidates were revealed last week, which included her claim that Mr Yousaf was "not British".

Dundee City West candidate Stuart Niven was suspended after reports he was disqualified as a company director.

Jordan Brown, the party's Aberdeen Central candidate, and Roland Jackson, who was announced as standing in Mid Fife and Glenrothes, have both withdrawn according to newspaper reports.

Offord said: "The party is disappointed by Linda and Roland's decision to step aside, but we want to record our respect for the commitment they showed in putting themselves forward.

"Standing as a candidate is never easy at the best of times, but that challenge is even tougher when you are doing it for a party that has entrenched interests lined up against it. I wish them both well."