Anas Sarwar has strongly refuted claims made by Malcolm Offord, the leader of Reform UK in Scotland, who alleged that Sarwar proposed a collaboration to prevent the Scottish National Party (SNP) from gaining power. Sarwar characterized Offord’s assertions as “a desperate lie from a desperate man.”
During a debate on Channel 4’s Scottish leaders’ program on Tuesday, Offord asserted that Sarwar approached him at an event in December, suggesting they should unite to oust the SNP from government. The situation intensified when Offord reiterated his statements to reporters post-debate, and Thomas Kerr, a Reform UK candidate in Glasgow, claimed Sarwar had made similar proposals previously.
Sarwar quickly dismissed these allegations as “nonsense,” while the SNP took to social media to highlight the exchange, suggesting it indicated Scottish Labour’s willingness to engage in a “grubby deal.” John Swinney, the leader of the SNP and current first minister, claimed that Labour might seek the support of Reform UK if the SNP wins the upcoming Holyrood elections on May 7 but does not secure an overall majority.
According to the rules of the Scottish Parliament, a first minister is elected by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). The convention generally favors the largest party in this scenario; however, both Labour and the Liberal Democrats are optimistic that they could garner enough MSPs to support Sarwar’s election, potentially with Conservative backing.
With projections suggesting Reform UK could secure up to ten seats, there is a possibility that Offord could hold a pivotal role in the power dynamics, which might compel Sarwar to seek Reform’s backing—a scenario speculated upon by some Labour insiders.
However, senior figures from Labour and the Liberal Democrats assert they would never seek support from Reform UK and believe Offord would abstain from voting in such a case to avoid aiding a Labour government, thus allowing Swinney to prevail.
After the debate, Sarwar criticized Offord’s claims as indicative of a party struggling in its campaign and maintained that there had been no agreements or discussions with Reform UK. Labour representatives described Offord’s statements as a “flat-out lie.”
Throughout the debate, Sarwar, who has faced ongoing scrutiny regarding his ethnicity and loyalties from members of Reform UK, confronted Offord directly, highlighting the offensive remarks made by Reform candidates, including calls to deport Muslims—remarks that would affect his own children.
Offord responded by accusing Sarwar of labeling him a racist multiple times on national television, questioning the consistency of Sarwar’s claims in light of his earlier alleged outreach to collaborate with Reform UK.
Sarwar dismissed any notion of forming an alliance with Reform, referencing derogatory comments made by Nigel Farage during a previous campaign, and highlighted the problematic history of Reform UK, which has faced criticism for racist advertisements and statements from its candidates.
He also expressed disappointment in Swinney’s remarks, suggesting that it was hypocritical for the SNP leader to criticize Reform UK’s racism while implying an association between Labour and Reform regarding his own experiences of racism.
Reform UK has experienced a rocky start to its Holyrood campaign, with five candidates either stepping down or being suspended. Offord recently downplayed concerns regarding past offensive tweets from Reform candidates, arguing that revisiting ten-year-old social media posts was a “slippery slope.”
At a rally in Aberdeen, where Reform UK had previously seen success with defections from the Scottish Conservatives, Farage addressed a crowd of over 300, asserting that the upcoming May elections could represent a significant moment for the party. He predicted that if they effectively navigate the next few weeks, Reform UK could emerge as a prominent opposition force at Holyrood for the first time since devolution.
