Nigel Farage to visit Scotland in first week of June ahead of crunch by-election
EXCLUSIVE: The Reform UK leader will come north of the border days before the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.
Nigel Farage will visit Scotland in the first week of June, the Record can reveal.
The Reform UK leader will come north of the border days before the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.
Farage has not made a public appearance in Scotland since he addressed a rally at Edinburgh's Corn Exchange in 2019 ahead of the European elections.
He famously had to hide in a Canongate pub in 2013 after being swarmed by protesters on a previous visit to Edinburgh.
When asked if Farage would be visiting Scotland soon, a party sourcetold the Record: "He is. Before the by-election."
When asked when this would be, the source said: " First week of June."
The by-election takes place on Thursday, June 5. The snap poll was triggered by the death of the SNP's Christina McKelvie.
The battle for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is widely believed to be a two-horse race between the SNP and Labour.
But Labour insiders believe their chances of seizing the seat will be harmed by the rise of Reform - with some predicting the right-wingers could take 20 per cent of the vote.
Farage famously had to be locked in a pub on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh by police for his own protection in 2013.
His trip was hijacked by protestors who the then UKIP leader condemned as "anti-English".
Reform are set to win a slew of MSPs at the Holyrood election next year - despite not even having a Scottish leader.
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said last year that Farage had not visited Scotland during the general election campaign because it was "dangerous".
When asked by the Record if Farage was afraid to come to Scotland on a trip to Falkirk, Tice said: "He's on great form and he is incredibly busy.
"But in all seriousness, the last time he did come to Scotland, it was dangerous, frankly. And that's a tragedy.
"One of the things that Nigel has to think very carefully about was security and we've already seen some issues.
"We've had one of our candidates assaulted and hospitalised.
"So that's the reality. Unfortunately, for senior figures in the political climate, from a number of parties but particularly for Nigel, security and safety is a real issue."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
14 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Dealing with Southampton heat showed Russell Martin can hack Rangers
The Scotland goalkeeper, though, insisted he couldn't recollect that fateful moment in an English Championship match against Fulham at Craven Cottage eight years ago when he spoke to the media at Hampden yesterday. "I remember my debut,' he said following a national team training session at Lesser Hampden ahead of the friendly international against Iceland in Mount Florida on Friday night. 'But I can't remember him scoring against me, no. Did he? We won't mention that, because he's a good guy.' Yet, Gunn had no problem recalling what a fine footballer, inspirational leader and cerebral thinker on the game Martin, who had just been tipped to take over as manager at Rangers when he arrived at his press conference, was when they had played together at Carrow Road at the start of his professional career. The difficulties which Norwich experienced against the Swansea City and Southampton sides the former Scotland centre-half managed were also fresh in his mind. Read more: Opinion about the man who led the St Mary's Stadium outfit back into the Premier League via the end-of-season play-offs last year was sharply divided among fans of the Glasgow club. Many admitted they would have preferred Davide Ancelotti, Francesco Farioli or Steven Gerrard to succeed Philippe Clement. But Gunn was adamant that appointing Martin, who was sacked back in December following a disappointing run of results in the English top flight, would be no own goal by Rangers. 'It's hard to compare a promoted team going into the Premier League with a team like Rangers going into European games,' he said. 'But I think he showed what he can do as a manager, not only with Southampton but with Swansea as well. He took a team that wasn't expected to do much quite far into the Championship as well. 'I think it will be a positive thing for Rangers. But, obviously, the only thing that can bring those supporters round is probably him getting in the door and starting well. That's the only thing that can happen. "But Southampton were a tough team. We had a couple of good games against them. We saw the evolution of their team throughout the season. I think when we first played them, they were quite open. Then, when we played them again, they were a little bit more pragmatic. 'I think that shows a coach that can adapt and change the way his team plays. Watching his teams over the few years that he was there, I thought he did that. Even though some people probably said he was reluctant to change, I thought he did that quite well, especially in the Championship anyway. (Image: Andrew Matthews) "It is a difficult league to get out of. We had the pressure of them coming down as well. A lot of the teams find it quite hard. I was there at Southampton previously and I felt it. There was a lot of pressure on him and the team and he managed to deliver. 'I don't know if he's going to go to Rangers or not, but obviously he had a spell there as a player so he kind of knows the club a little bit. I think it would be a really good thing for the Rangers, to be fair.' Gunn always suspected that Martin, whose partner is former glamour model Lucy Pinder, who is a former member of the Green Party, who is a proponent of Buddhism and who is a vegan, was destined to move into management and his success with MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton in the past six years has not surprised him. 'I only worked with him as a player at Norwich,' he said. 'But he's a very intellectual guy. I went in there as a young goalkeeper and he helped me massively, even though he wasn't in the team every week and playing regularly. He was the captain of the club and he had good relationships with everyone in the dressing room. 'There were a few other players in that dressing room who were like that,' he said. 'Steven Naismith was there as well. But you can definitely tell on the pitch when you're playing with players who are going to go into management. They kind of start coaching whilst they're still playing, if you like, sort of organising on the pitch. Read more: 'He was one of them. But Russell wasn't just on the pitch, he was off the pitch as well, where he had close relationships with everyone. Even though, I wasn't a regular playing in the team, he was always on hand and always upbeat and a good person to go to. 'I watch him now on the television and can see the way he wants teams to play football and what his philosophy is. I really hope whatever he goes on to in his career is successful.' Gunn, who was released by Norwich at the end of last season, is eager to put a difficult season firmly behind him and is looking forward to featuring in both of the Scotland friendlies in the coming days and performing well for his country. 'The injuries have probably been the most challenging thing to me because I've not been injured too much in my career,' he said. 'Sometimes that's hard to deal with if you're not used to it. But I thought I dealt with it quite well. I came back, tried to come back stronger. 'Obviously, it's a different stage of my career now. I'm getting a little bit older and every year is different. From my point of view, I don't really look too much into the past. I'm more excited for the future.'
Scottish Sun
33 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Aberdeen ‘set to battle Premiership rivals in transfer race for SPFL side's top scorer'
ABERDEEN have reportedly entered the race for one of Scottish football's hottest properties - but face stiff competition from several clubs. Jimmy Thelin is aiming to add more quality to his Scottish Cup winning squad this summer and one position he's looking at is a new striker. 2 Jimmy Thelin is keen to add to his squad Credit: Andrew Barr 2 He could snap up a top player in Scotland Credit: Willie Vass Kevin Nisbet is set to return to Millwall following his loan spell, while Oday Dabbagh's future at Pittodrie is currently unclear despite the Dons having an option to sign him permanently from Charleroi. Aberdeen have yet to trigger a deal for the Palestinian forward as things stand. Thelin, 47, is assessing his options elsewhere and is expected to complete at least one swoop for another hitman. And it looks like he's found his next man right here in Scotland. The Belfast Telegraph claim Aberdeen are readying move for Ross County talisman Ronan Hale. Hale, 26, is currently with the Northern Ireland squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Denmark and Iceland, but he will have a decision to make on his future when he returns to Dingwall. The former Cliftonville striker is expected to leave the Staggies after just one year following their relegation to the Championship. Hale scored two goals against Livingston in the Premiership play-off but he couldn't prevent his side from the drop and has likely played his last game for the club. It's said Aberdeen will face a battle to sign him as Dundee are also interested, along with a host of English clubs. EFL League One sides Wigan Athletic, Luton Town and Port Vale have all been reportedly keeping tabs on him as well. Aberdeen's Scottish Cup-winning heroes greeted by thousands on open top bus parade through the city after beating Celtic Hale scored 18 goals in all competitions for Ross County during the 2024/25 campaign. He could make his international bow for Michael O'Neil's side in the coming days after switching allegiances from the Republic of Ireland this year. The Staggies will command a healthy fee for the 26-year-old after he penned a three-year deal when he arrived at Dingwall last year. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Russell Martin can transform Rangers as ex-owner loves him
And to this day, the ex-MK Dons owner insists he loves Martin dearly for the work he did at his beloved club. Winkelman gave the Rangers managerial candidate his big break in management in the English lower leagues. The 39-year-old had the Dons playing free-flowing football and quickly attracted the attentions of Swansea. But it wasn't just what he delivered on the pitch. His old boss says he brought the whole club together as his impact went beyond just the training pitch and a game on a Saturday. Winkelman told the Scottish Sun: "I love the man. I wish him every success. Read more: On-loan Rangers star makes Ibrox admission as future remains unclear European side consider Rangers coach as next manager and launch 'enquiry' 'He will bring a hell of a lot to Rangers. It won't just be a little tweak here or there to what happens on the pitch. 'Throughout the club, he'll get everyone together. 'Russ has an understanding of the whole club, and great knowledge of how all the parts come together. 'It's not just about coaching for him, he understands how the club all fits. 'This is probably the kind of talk that impressed the Rangers bosses in his interview. 'You need that understanding if you're competing at the top of the Premiership. It's as tough as it can be. 'I'll be thrilled for him if he gets the job. I'll be excited to see what he can do. 'Rangers will certainly be an attractive team to watch if Russ gets the job. 'I'll be watching for Rangers' results now. You tend to do that with people you really like.' Winkelman once appointed Roberto Di Matteo, who went onto win the Champions League with Chelsea, and former Liverpool and Manchester United star Paul Ince. He holds Martin in similar regard, adding: 'Russ was one of the best appointments I made, and I like to think I made a few. 'I gave Roberto Di Matteo his first job, and he ended up winning the Champions League with Chelsea. 'I gave Paul Ince his second job in management and that went well, too. 'I'm quite pleased with my track record in appointing managers.
