Millionaire Tory donor quits the Lords and joins Reform

A millionaire Conservative donor who was made a peer by Boris Johnson has defected to Reform UK in a major boost for Nigel Farage. Malcolm Offord said he was defecting from the Conservatives to Reform and intended to stand for election to the Scottish parliament next year.

- NICOLE WOOTTON-CANE

The former Tory minister was introduced by Mr Farage during a party rally in Falkirk yesterday. Announcing his defection, he said he believed the Scottish Conservatives have “given up” on Scotland.

Mr Farage welcomed Lord Offord as “somebody who I think will have a transformative effect on our party here in Scotland”, describing the defection as “a brave and historic act”.

The former Scottish Conservative Party treasurer previously served in the Tory government as an exports minister before Labour won the 2024 general election. He confirmed he would resign from the House of Lords and return his peerage to campaign for a seat at Holyrood as “good old Malcolm Offord”.

Members of the House of Lords are disqualified from becoming members of the Scottish parliament under legislation passed earlier this year. It is not possible to renounce a life peerage, but peers can resign their membership from the House of Lords.

Lord Offord branded the Scottish Conservative Party as “unelectable” and said: “I’m concerned for Scottish politics, very concerned about what happens in Scotland.