Right wing comedian to stand for Laurence Fox's party at Holyrood election

A former Foreign Office consultant turned right wing stand-up comedian is to stand for Laurence Fox’s Reclaim Party in May’s Holyrood election.

Leo Hamilton-Kearse, an outspoken critic of the SNP who has accused the party of controlling Scotland’s media, police, and courts system, is to challenge Humza Yousaf, the justice secretary, in Glasgow Pollok.

The 44-year-old is the first - and so far, only - candidate Reclaim has announced it is putting up in Scotland. He said he will campaign on a platform to repeat the recently passed Hate Crime Bill.

Mr Hamilton-Kearse has repeatedly railed against the legislation, claiming it will “criminalise private conversations.” Announcing his candidacy, he said he was taking a stand against the SNP.

"With wokeness and extreme nationalism seemingly the only acceptable discourses allowed in Scotland these days, I feel now is the right time to stand up and be counted,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and spreading the Reclaim Party’s message of freedom to Scotland.”

The comedian, who worked as an IT consultant for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office before turning to comedy six years ago, has accused the SNP of fostering anti-English xenophobia among young people.

Leo Hamilton-Kearse, the Reclaim Party candidate for Glasgow Pollok.

Mr Hamilton-Kearse, who claims he has been blacklisted because of his politics, has been interviewed by numerous media outlets in recent weeks, including BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show, and the Daily Express.

Mr Fox, who is standing to become the mayor of London, said: “Having known Leo for many years, with his wit and incisiveness, I can’t think of anyone better to start us on the journey to reclaim Scotland.”

The Reclaim Party was set up by Mr Fox in March 2019 to “reclaim” British values from politicians.

The former Lewis actor, who has been widely condemned for his comments about racism, inequality, and the coronavirus pandemic, has claimed to have received more than £5 million in donations for the party.

Filings with the Electoral Commission show the party has received £11,351 in donations, with the vast majority coming from Jeremy Hosking, a long time Conservative Party donor.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to note that the Reclaim Party has not received any donations from Total Reclaims Demolition Limited as previously incorrectly reported.

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