Greene comments on Lord Offord’s car crash BBC interview

Scottish Liberal Democrat Jamie Greene MSP has today said that Lord Malcolm Offord and Reform “should be nowhere near politics or power”, following an interview on BBC Radio Scotland where he defended the racist comments of his candidates as “intemperate”, “fruity” and “real people saying real things”.

During the interview, Lord Offord made a series of comments, including:

• In response to Reform’s North East Fife candidate calling Humza Yousaf a “grandstanding Islamist moron”, Offord said this was an example of “real people with real lives who said real things in a past life”, that it was “intemperate” and that “we have to be more realistic about the fact that real people say real things”.
• In response to Reform’s candidate for Galloway and West Dumfries calling for Muslims to be deported, Offord said “we have to grow up on this and not take offence at every moment in time”.
• In response to Reform MP Sarah Pochin saying she wanted to come to Reform’s Scottish manifesto launch in a “tartan burqa”, Offord said it was “perfectly harmless”, that “there was a little bit of humour in there” and that it was not racist.

Jamie Greene MSP said:  

“Malcolm Offord has just proved why he and his party should be nowhere near politics or power.

“During this car crash interview, this mansion-residing lord showed he only has a manifesto for peddling intolerance, ignorance and division.

“I wonder what else he would describe as a “real person doing a real thing”? Perhaps a party leader allegedly hissing at Jewish children to imitate the noise of gas chambers?

“Whatever your political beliefs, this hateful bile should be called out for what it is. Malcolm should be utterly ashamed of some of his candidate's behaviour, and his own defence of them speaks volumes about his moral compass, or lack thereof.

“Less than 24 hours after dropping a candidate list full of crackpots and failed Tories, Malcolm Offord and Reform have shown their true colours. I have every confidence that the people of Scotland will roundly reject them come May.”