Reform UK brought the fireworks, as Farage suggests Holyrood win in 2031
Around 300 supporters came to see speeches from the party leaders
From union flag suits, tartan ties and fireworks to a tumble on the stage, there was plenty to talk about at Reform UK’s rally in Scotland.
Around 300 supporters came to see speeches from the party leaders, including Nigel Farage, at the P&J Live arena in Aberdeen on Monday evening.
The future of North Sea oil and gas, fishing and immigration all featured heavily in the “unscripted” speeches, but perhaps the most perplexing point was the fact the party’s UK and Scottish leaders do not agree on how ambitious they should be.
Mr Farage boldly said May 7 will be Reform’s “breakthrough moment” in Scotland, promising to become an “effective voice of opposition to the SNP” with the aim of winning outright power in Holyrood next time around in 2031.
However, instead of conceding defeat with three weeks to go, his Scottish leader Malcolm Offord told journalists afterwards that he is “in it to win it”. He confidently said the party will win constituency seats, despite what the polls are warning him, and there is still a chance of him snatching victory.
When asked if the pair had not compared notes before gracing the stage, Mr Offord said: “I have a different opinion, which we are allowed to have. That’s one of the joys of Reform.”
Despite this difference, there have now been a few polls suggesting the fight for second place in this election is far from over.
The rest of the rally started off more subdued, with even the appearance of ties in Reform UK’s very own tartan not really setting the heather alight.
Commentator Charlie Rowley began the evening off by asking members of the audience to tell the crowd why they were there, and then interviewing two supporters in a mock TV studio, where one suggested his bad university grades were because he is a closeted Reform supporter.
“Democracy is in danger,” said one supporter. “We are in the last chance saloon,” said another. One man kitted out in a full union flag suit said: “It is down to Nigel and his crew to fix it.”
Things got a bit more lively when the big speeches started, but it seemed the crowd was really only there to see one man - Nigel Farage.
He spoke to the crowd like they were his friends at the pub, trying to make some light-hearted jokes at Sir Keir Starmer’s expense. But Labour was not the only political party to get a heavy dose of criticism from Reform UK - no party was spared, whether it was the SNP, the Conservatives or the Greens.
His speech focused heavily on North Sea oil and gas, making multiple comparisons with the industry in neighbouring Norway. He promised that once Reform UK gets into power in Holyrood, they will kickstart "massive" production in the North Sea and see Scotland become a “huge” exporter of oil and gas. That certainly garnered a big cheer from the gathered acolytes.
Mr Offord’s speech leaned more heavily on immigration as a point of discussion, saying it is “not racist” to point out that illegal immigration is out-of-control and unfair.
He then claimed GPs had told him of migrants arriving illegally to get £11,000-a-year treatment for HIV, and taking up double GP appointments at the expense of “locals” because they need interpreters.
Journalists did ask where this was happening but were not able to get an answer.
The evening ended with the candidates gathering on the stage to confetti and fireworks, but someone did take a bit of a stumble on the stage - the party will be hoping that is the only time they slip up between now and May 7.
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