Why reducing cost of living is vital in seeing off hard-right Reform threat

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party is spending big ahead of the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election for the Scottish Parliament

According to a new survey, 22 per cent of respondents would need to borrow money to cover a £100 emergency expense and double that proportion would be unable to cover a £500 cost.

The figures underline how many people are only just getting by as the high cost of living continues to cause real problems. No doubt some could be more careful with their money, but the Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker also found one in four reported losing sleep over their finances, so they hardly sound like carefree spendthrifts.

When times are tough and governments offer little hope of making them better, people have a tendency to send a signal to their political masters by registering a protest vote. Therefore, Reform UK have reasons to be optimistic about their chances of doing well in the looming Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.

Support for Nigel Farage's Reform UK party has risen sharply since last year's general election (Picture: Oli Scarff) | AFP via Getty Images

‘Blatantly racist’

As we report today, Nigel Farage’s party is outspending all the other main political parties put together with an advertising blitz on Facebook and other Meta platforms. Its deputy leader, Richard Tice, has claimed the election is now a “two-horse race” between Reform and the SNP.

This is an assessment that Labour would most certainly dispute and which has been undermined by Reform’s appalling social media attack ad on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, which ridiculously claimed he would “prioritise the Pakistani community” and which a Labour spokesperson described as “blatantly racist”.

If Labour were not in the running, Reform would have no need to spend money on the advert and would target their vitriol elsewhere.

Hopefully, the good people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse will send a message to Reform about this kind of campaigning. And if they are considering backing the party as a form of protest, we hope they think again. Adding to the party’s current political momentum could lead this country into a particularly dark place.

By now, both Labour and the SNP must realise that the best way to see off the threat of the hard-right Reform – and their amateurish, uncosted policies – is to reduce the cost of living and try to demonstrate they have people's best interests at heart. No protest votes required.