“He’s a fascist,” claims one (a characterisation that Farage would vehemently deny). “Really sinister,” says another.
Love the former I’m a Celeb contestant or loathe him, this week’s Holyrood by-election marks the arrival of Reform as a major force in Scottish politics.
However, bookmakers have Reform UK in second place. It mirrors national polling north of the border, which now puts Farage’s party narrowly ahead of Scottish Labour, with the Scottish Lib Dems and Tories fighting it out for fourth.
square ANNE MCELVOY Starmer is making a mistake by choosing Reform as his main enemy
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Anti-racism campaigners in the area this week claimed Farage was “not welcome” in Scotland.
Colin Pinchbeck, 66, was delighted to get a selfie with the man of the moment when he stopped into The Central pub for a pint of Tennant’s Lager.
“Nigel Farage – he’s just saying what everybody’s thinking. He’s such a great orator. This man’s come in like a breath of fresh air.”
Colin Pinchbeck feels let down by other politicians (Photo: The i Paper)“There been a lot of anti-Nigel stuff in Scotland – I’ve been a slightly demonised figure here,” he says, before warning his rivals: “You’ll see a lot more of me in Scotland.
This is the kind of working-class seat that Scottish Labour should have been expected to take from the SNP – a party which has been in power in Edinburgh for almost two decades.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar needs to win in places like this to show he is on course to be First Minister at next spring’s Holyrood election.
Voters in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse go the polls on Thursday (Photo: The i Paper)
‘Downhearted with Labour’
“I’m seriously tempted to vote for Reform,” says 52-year-old Mark, a pro-union, anti-independence, traditional Labour voter in Hamilton.
“People are so downhearted with Labour already. They’ve gone too far too fast with benefit cuts, with the winter fuel cut. Farage has got something about him.”
“I’ve been Labour all my life,” says the former stonemason. “Reform and Farage – they can eff off. I’m not interested. They’re just Tories in disguise.
Robert Shepherd has been a Labour voter his whole life (Photo: The i Paper)
The anti-Reform sentiment is also evident among SNP voters in Hamilton.
“I think he would abolish the Scottish Parliament if he got the chance. He’s dangerous.”
“I actually don’t think Farage should be hounded out [of Scotland]. I do understand why people are voting for Reform – they’re worried about the level of immigration.”
Audrey Gallagher thinks John Swinney is a new start for the SNP (Photo: The i Paper)
SNP candidate Katy Loudon says voter anger is being directed at the UK Labour Government over the fuel winter payment cut, benefits reforms and failure to offer Waspi women compensation.
Reform is ‘flash in the pan’
Swinney’s party has attempted to present the election as a “straight contest” between the SNP and Reform.
He adds: “One wee woman said to me on the doorstep, ‘Keep your chin up son, Reform are just a flash in the pan’. Reform are promising everything, but they’ll deliver nothing.”
Labour candidate Davy Russell (L) campaigning with party leader Anas Sarwar (Photo: Scottish Labour)A Reform video – which claimed Sarwar will “prioritise” the Pakistani community in Scotland – was criticised as “racist” by Reform’s opponents.
Grilled on the video while in Scotland on Monday, Farage claimed Reform “don’t talk about race at all”, before referring to a speech Sarwar gave in 2020 noting that key public figures across Scotland were white. “We believe what he said was a form of sectarian politics.”
Lambie won’t be drawn on whether he can win the seat from the established parties. But he says the party has been “hoovering up a lot of Labour voters”.
“I bet you after this byelection, that Labour argument [about Reform splitting the anti-SNP vote] is flipped on its head,” says Lambie.
Farage, playing the expectation management game, says a Reform win in Hamilton would be “over-egging the pudding”, claiming second would be “a major step forward”.
Asked by The i Paper if he could still cause an upset, Farage says: “Do you know what? I will buy this whole pub a drink if we do.”
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