Reform’s Scottish leader brags about owning ‘6 houses’ in debate

When Reform UK launched, the party styled itself as an alternative to the Tories and Labour. You could see why this would be popular with working class voters, because under the Tory-Labour duopoly many of them have only gotten poorer and poorer.

However, at some point along the way, Reform forgot who it wants to appeal to. This is why Reform’s Scottish leader was bragging about how many houses and boats he has in a televised debate:

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I hadn't thought of a yacht tax before now, but it seems Lord Offord's fleet would raise enough to plug that hole in Scotland's finances. https://t.co/MBdjhw91iK

— Ross Greer (@Ross_Greer) April 28, 2026

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Reform’s man in Scotland

Of course, it’s unsurprising that lord Malcolm Offord would act and sound like a Tory. As we reported, he’s the former Tory donor Boris Johnson elevated with a peerage:

Malcolm Ian Offord is also known as ‘baron Offord of Garvel’, which is a fun thing to say out loud because it sounds like you’re speaking with a mouth full of toffee. As noted above, Offord isn’t just a peer; he’s also a millionaire and an ex-Tory donor.

Fair play to Reform for convincing anyone they represent the British working class, because it can’t be easy to pull that off when your party is waist deep in wealthy donors.

In the clip at the top, Offal of Garble is debating the Scottish Greens’ Ross Greer. Here’s what the lord had to say:

I went to London 40 years ago with £2,000 in debt. And full of ambition, I worked hard and I was successful. Today, I own six houses, five cars, and six boats. And in a 40-year business career, I’ve employed hundreds of thousands of people and paid £45m in tax. I don’t say that to boast. I ask you this question. Mr Greer, in your Scotland… Do you want more people like me or fewer people like me?

When he says ‘more people like him,’ how many more is he talking about?

10?

100?

1,000?

Because there are 5.5 million people in Scotland, and no one is deluded enough to think every one of them could own six houses. This is the problem — if the wealthy are only ever going to be an ultra-minority, why should the majority of voters care?

The ultra-minority of rich people we’re talking about have obscene levels of power, influence, and spending power, allowing them to create a situation in which they get richer and richer on our hard work. They achieve this by buying the services and properties we rent back from them; they achieve it by buying the politicians we need to represent us; they achieve it by owning the land we need to live on.

What Offord is proposing would benefit no one besides him and the six guys he plays golf with.

Fewer, thanks

Greer wasted no time in responding, hitting back:

Fewer people like you. I’m glad you finally admitted how many homes that you have, Lord Offord. I think it’s worth at this point in the debate pointing out that there are three times as many holiday homes and empty properties in this country as there are homeless children.

You don’t need six homes. You don’t even need two homes. Everybody just needs a home to live in.

Surely, if we’re to tackle the housing crisis, the super-rich, elite individuals like you should be giving up some of those homes so that people who desperately need a roof over their head actually have somewhere to live.

Absolutely right.

Featured image via the Canary

By Willem Moore

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