The Worst Kept Secret in Scottish Politics

On Thursday, the worst kept secret in Scottish politics was finally revealed. Former Tory minister and yacht enthusiast Lord Offord was ordained Nigel Farage’s lieutenant in Scotland – leading Reform Scotland. It’s been quite a journey for Malcolm Offord.

From a cut and thrust Thatcherite merchant banker in the early 1990s to an adviser to Ian Duncan Smith in the 2000s. He worked for Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. He sat on the red benches of the Lords for the Tories following many failed election bids and now leads Reform Scotland.His titles and party branding may have changed, but his toxic Tory politics haven’t.

Far from challenging the establishment, Lord Offord is the establishment in its most blatant form.

You can’t trust him with our NHS, you can’t trust him to stand up for working people and you can’t trust him to tackle poverty. You can’t even trust him to be open about his own dealings. Lord Offord has squirmed under questioning about his numerous business interests and couldn’t even say how many homes he has. He refused point blank to publish his tax returns, begging the obvious question- what does he have to hide?

Years of dishonesty and dodgy dealings from the SNP and the Tories have left public trust in politics in tatters. I am happy to do my bit to rebuild that trust by being transparent about my taxes – but for reasons I can only guess, Lord Offord doesn’t want to do the same.

So, here’s my direct challenge to him – come clean and publish your tax returns.

The truth is that Offord is just another out-of-touch Tory – fresh from backing Liz Truss and Boris Johnson in crashing the economy and seeking to divide us. And he is happy to consign us to a third decade of SNP rule in Scotland. Under the SNP thousands of kids are homeless – many growing up in shelters and B&Bs. Hundreds of thousands of Scottish patients are waiting in pain and anxiety for NHS treatment. Our schools, once a beacon of excellence to the world, have been ravaged by rising violence and falling standards – betraying an entire generation of young Scots. We need to boot this tired, arrogant, and incompetent SNP government out of power – but Offord and his Reform rejects are providing them with cover.

If the SNP cling on to power for a third decade, Lord Offord and his chums won’t pay the price – but working people in Scotland will. Reform isn’t the SNP’s enemy – it’s a gift. In the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election the SNP and Reform teamed up to peddle the lie that they were in a direct race. Instead, we gave them both a gubbing – and we will do it again.

Scotland needs change, it needs new leadership, it needs new thinking, and it needs hope.

This May, reject the politics of despair and vote for a brighter future for Scotland with Scottish Labour.

People are fed up with a government that hides the truth, blocks scrutiny, and then expects the public to pick up the bill. For too long, the SNP has run a Secret Scotland where secrecy is the default, accountability is optional, and taxpayers’ money is wasted on cover ups and legal games instead of improving public services. That has to end.

And as First Minister, I will end it.

Today I am making a clear commitment. A Scottish Labour government will publish the Salmond files the SNP does not want you to see. We will stop the stonewalling, respect the law, and restore the basic principle that government works for the public, not for those in power. But this is about more than one set of files. It is about changing how government operates. I will strengthen Freedom of Information so people have a right to know, not a fight to find out. That means making sure the system is fit for purpose. I will invite the Information Commissioner to carry out an independent review of FOI practice, with clear recommendations for faster decisions and proper compliance.

People deserve a government that is open, honest, and accountable, where public money is spent on improving services, not on protecting those in power from scrutiny.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant. The days of Secret Scotland will be over.

Anas Sarwar