Malcolm Offord - Leader of Reform UK Scotland | Reform Watch

Profile and accountability tracker for Malcolm Offord, Leader of Reform UK Scotland. Reform UK.

Role: Leader of Reform UK Scotland

Party: Reform UK

Malcolm Offord, Baron Offord of Garvel, is a Scottish politician and former private equity investor. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (2021–2024) and Minister for Exports (2023–2024) under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak. Originally a Conservative life peer, he defected to Reform UK in December 2025 and was appointed Leader of Reform UK Scotland in January 2026. He resigned from the House of Lords to stand in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

Recorded incidents (showing 1-1 of 1)

Offord made homophobic Burns Night joke about George Michael as Reform Scotland leader

Category: offensive

Malcolm Offord, in his role as Reform UK's leader in Scotland, made a homophobic joke about the late singer George Michael during a Burns Night speech in early 2026. The joke was made in front of a public audience during one of the most high-profile events in the Scottish calendar and was aimed at a well-known gay public figure. He later described the remark as "a clumsy mistake". The incident was included in HOPE not hate's 30 April 2026 report "60 Reasons (and Counting) to Not Vote Reform on May 7th" as an example of anti-LGBT conduct by senior Reform figures, not just individual candidates. Reform retained him in his leadership role through the 7 May 2026 elections despite the party's claim its vetting was "the best in the country".