Patrick O’Flynn Patrick O’Flynn

Why Reform UK’s Scotland launch was a flop

Richard Tice (photo: Reform UK)

Scots may be getting vaccinated against Covid, but they already have the highest rate of immunity to the appeal of Nigel Farage to be found anywhere in the UK. So it was not a particular surprise that Farage today stayed away from the launch of the Scottish offshoot of his new entity, Reform UK.

Instead it was left to party chairman Richard Tice to unveil the identity of the leader of Reform UK, Scotland. The sitting MSP Michelle Ballantyne, who stood unsuccessfully for the leadership of the Scottish Conservatives less than a year ago before going independent, has become the Scottish leader of Reform UK, without needing to win a single vote.

The good news for the party is that Mrs Ballantyne came over as sensible, credible and inoffensive, not unlike Mr Tice himself. The capture by Reform UK of a sitting member of the Scottish Parliament is undoubtedly a feather in its cap as it seeks to put together a slate of candidates for the Holyrood elections.

But did this feel like a party that is about to explode onto the Scottish political scene in a game-changing fashion? I am afraid that it did not.

The missing ingredient was pinpointed by a bloke called Terry Merton who was watching the livestream of the event and got to ask a question. Nothing distinctive stood out about the agenda set out by Mrs Ballantyne, observed Terry, before asking: ‘Where’s the silver bullet?’

And in that remark we learned that the absence of Farage had a downside as well as an advantage. The Farage political persona is compelling at least in part because it crackles with danger.

Nobody quite knows what unspeakable home truth he will dare to utter or what unlikely new cause he is about to embrace.

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