Latest news with #anti-Reform
STV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- STV News
Nigel Farage no-show at media event in Hamilton
Nigel Farage was a no-show at his own media event in Hamilton on Monday afternoon. The Reform UK party leader made a rare visit to Scotland on Monday ahead of the Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse by-election on Thursday, but he dodged a planned media event that was scheduled to begin at 2.15pm. Reform previously told journalists that Farage would be visiting the region for a 'walkabout' on Monday afternoon. While the exact location was not immediately made available to journalists, the party said it would inform those who were planning on attending. As rumours swirled the event would begin in the car park of a Premier Inn in the town, reporters, photographers, and broadcasters congregated there, waiting for around two hours for the Reform UK leader. He did not appear at the event. However, social media posts from both Farage and his party later showed the leader walking around Larkhall and meeting with fans. 'Out and about in Larkhall with [Reform UK candidate] Ross Lambie. Come and say hello,' the post stated. Farage also posted pictures of another event which appeared to have been taken in the back court of the party's offices in the town. No official reason has been given by the party for Farage not attending the media event in Hamilton, which the party itself called. Earlier in the day, Farage also visited Aberdeen for a party press conference, where he clashed with anti-Reform protesters outside. Around 20 demonstrators had turned up outside the event, holding banners with messages including 'Farage not welcome in Scotland' and chanting slogans such as 'Farage, Farage we know you, you're a racist through and through'. He later accused the Herald of leaking the location of the press conference, which the paper has strenuously denied. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Swinney accuses Reform of racism over Sarwar advert
First Minister John Swinney has accused Reform UK of a "racist attack" on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Both the SNP and Labour have complained to Facebook's parent company Meta about a Reform advert running on the site ahead of a South Lanarkshire by-election. The video features text claiming Sarwar "will prioritise the Pakistani community". Reform has denied the video is racist and said it has no plans to take it down. Speaking on the campaign trail ahead of the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, Swinney said the advert was "blatantly racist". He called for Meta to remove the video, telling reporters: "I don't want racism anywhere in any shape or form in our politics there's a responsibility on these social media companies to act." The first minister said: "Anas Sarwar is a political rival of mine but he should not be subjected to that kind of racist attack." He urged politicians to "stand in solidarity against" Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Scottish Labour had already described the advert as "blatantly racist". The party complained to Meta two weeks ago, while the SNP lodged a separate complaint on Monday. The SNP's chief executive, Carol Beattie, said in a letter to the social media firm that the video "crosses the line into race-baiting and scapegoating". She added that it was an attempt to "provoke division, stir racial resentment, and marginalise Pakistani residents in Scotland". The SNP urged Meta to remove the content and "apply appropriate sanctions". The party also asked for clarification on how the organisation how political advertising would be monitored "to prevent the incitement of racial hatred." The Scottish Greens also described the Reform advert as racist, while the Liberal Democrats accused Farage's party of "scummy tactics". Meta has been asked to comment. Reform councillor Thomas Kerr accused Swinney and Sarwar of "desperately trying to deflect attention away from the facts". He said: "This advert uses Mr Sarwar's own words - if he doesn't like them, he shouldn't use them. "The SNP and Labour have both broken Scotland, it's no surprise they're now forming some sort of pathetic and panicky anti-Reform coalition." Voters will go to the polls in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on 5 June following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie earlier this year. The candidates standing in the ballot are: Katy Loudon - SNP Davy Russell - Labour Richard Nelson - Conservative Ann McGuinness - Greens Aisha Mir - Liberal Democrat Ross Lambie - Reform Collette Bradley - Scottish Socialist Party Andy Brady - Scottish Family Party Janice Mackay - UK Independence Party Mark Wilkinson - Independent Reform accused of 'blatant racism' over Sarwar ad
The Herald Scotland
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Analysis: Reform support in Hamilton should worry other parties
It's a busy place and almost everyone I speak to is unhappy about their town centre and national issues such as the NHS. They believe the blame lies at the doors of those in power. A man walking his dog who initially thinks I'm a politician tells me: 'Hamilton used to be good. I don't know what happened to it. 'I don't know what youse have done. It's now a s****hole." 'Why would I vote?', he tells me, getting despondent, 'It's the same a***holes with the same rules that's why I don't vote." His mind now on other matters, he asks me: 'Where's my dug?' And he's not alone. I speak to a number of people there who don't want to vote because they have become tired of what the SNP, Labour and the Tories have to offer. A woman enjoying the sun and a pint at the pub, says she's not voting 'because I just don't feel like whoever you vote for anything will get done. The country is falling to bits and I don't think it really matters who you vote for because they all make promises they don't keep." But for others, this scunnered effect has translated into something else; a magnetism towards Reform. An older lady stops to talk to me. She is very polite and as I ask her a question she tells me she is sorry as she has almost lost her hearing. However, she is keen to help me and lip reads my question on how she will vote. 'I'm voting Reform', she tells me enthusiastically, now smiling widely. Asked why, she said: '[Politicians] promise things and nothing happens and I think Reform speaks for the average British-born person whether they are black or white. 'I'm not being racist,' she insists, 'But people who are born here think there are too many immigrants coming in and far too much being given to people who shouldn't have it.' The woman is a Tory to Reform voter. 'I've always voted Conservative but it seems that once Boris Johnson led the Conservative government it's been a mess ever since. "So I just decided, having listened to what Nigel Farage had to say. 'A lot of my friends think the same.' READ MORE: But it's not just this generation who feel this way. A young couple are walking down Cadzow Street. The man overhears me talking about politics and is keen to share his thoughts. 'It's got to be Reform and I'm saying that after voting SNP for ages,' he says with his partner nodding in agreement. 'They just seem to know what they are talking about and the rest don't.' One older woman tells me: 'You can't get an appointment with your doctor, you can't get anything done with the council. 'They're all incompetent and they don't know what they are doing." Her answer? 'Reform. I want something done about all the carry on that's going on now.' Another man simply comes up to me to tell me that 'Labour has betrayed pensioners' as he mentions the UK Government decision to limit the amount of people who are in receipt of it. I waited in the town centre keen to get views of people who are anti-Reform to balance out a piece like this but in the time I was there nobody expressed this viewpoint. I was there for an hour. It is important to point out that walking up to people in one specific area one Wednesday afternoon isn't the best litmus test of overall voter feeling. It can depend on the time and obviously the people you speak to. But one thing was clear. The mood was that many people in this area are open, some even enthusiastic, about the presence of Reform UK in Scottish politics. At the party's HQ in Hamilton town centre, their candidate Ross Lambie, tells me the reception to his party at constituents' doors has been positive. 'We are finding it fascinating because the support is coming from all corners,' Mr Lambie said. 'It's almost like the old divisions in Scottish politics are starting to break down. "It's not like you are getting it from one section of the community but never the other. It's actually coming from across the board.' Decorating their walls are maps of the area and canvassing strategies. It's obvious this is a pretty well thought out operation. I'm informed they usually get over a dozen volunteers on a weekday and many more at the weekends. Now, of course Mr Lambie will be keen to stress everyone is very enthused about his party but after speaking to people in Hamilton it genuinely feels as though many are and the other parties should be worried. The Reform candidate is also jumping at the chance to do any media appearances such as an STV debate. Meanwhile, others such as Scottish Labour and the Lib Dems are declining this offer and the Scottish Conservatives have yet to make up their minds. If I were their campaign teams, I would be having a rethink because this is a party which seems to have tapped into many voters' psyches here and, more importantly, got them onside.
Daily Record
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Nigel Farage 'targeting Scotland next' after election victory
SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: The Reform leader said Scotland will be seeing 'a lot more' of him soon. Nigel Farage has his sights set on Holyrood after his party's election victory in England. The Reform UK leader told the Sunday Mail that Scotland would be seeing 'much more' from him ahead of a by-election in Hamilton. The English mayoral and local elections on Thursday saw Reform take control of 10 councils, two mayoralties and they added another MP to their ranks. Now the party's focus will shift to Scotland for the Holyrood vote next year and the June 5 by-election in Hamilton. Farage said: 'We now turn our attention Hamilton and Holyrood. Scotland is going to be seeing a lot more of me very soon.' A senior Reform UK source said Farage would be welcomed in Scotland and said: 'You certainly won't see the same thing as 2013 when Nigel was locked in a pub in the Royal Mile. 'People are realising that what he is saying makes sense. The same issues that are affecting people in England - cost of living, the NHS in a mess - they are the same as in Scotland. 'I expect we could win a significant amount of seats at Holyrood with how things are going.' They added: 'Of course [John] Swinney is in a panic, and Labour too. They haven't been shaken up like this before.' In the last year Reform has seen a number of defections from the Scottish Tories, most prominently Glasgow councillor Thomas Kerr, Ross Lambie of South Lanarkshire Council and John Gray of Renfrewshire Council, Lambie is now hoping to secure a victory the Hamilton by-election, following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie in March. Farage has said his party's wins on Thursday, a t the expense of Labour and the Tories, signalled 'the end of two-party politics' in the UK. First Minister John Swinney has said Farage represents the politics of division and vowed to stand up to him. In April he held a summit aimed at combatting the far fight - widely regarded as an anti-Reform event. Swinney said: 'The election result in England demonstrate that Farage is a real threat and the Labour party and conservatives have allowed this to happen by cosying up to Farage. ' The SNP is going to confront Farage because he represents the politics of division and we represent the politics of hope. 'What we have got to do is help people who feel disaffected by politics by letting them see government acting on their side that is why we will do. 'Reform are deceptive, they give people false hope, and they blame others, and the SNP will confront those politics.' Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar meanwhile is yet to address the Reform gains in England and say what he believes it means for Scotland. Brian Leishman, the MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said the Government's first 10 months 'haven't been good enough or what the people want' and warned that the next government will be 'an extreme right-wing one' if people's living standards are not improved. But the Prime Minister has insisted there is 'tangible proof that things are finally beginning to go in the right direction', although he said he was not satisfied with where the country was. He said: 'I am acutely aware that people aren't yet feeling the benefits. That's what they told us last night. 'Until they do, I will wake up every morning determined to go further and faster.' The Prime Minister signalled his priorities as he pledged to deliver 'more money in your pocket, lower NHS waiting lists, lower immigration numbers'. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to make her party a 'credible' alternative once again. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Daily Record
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
John Swinney refuses to say if trans women are women again
John Swinney has again refused to say whether transwomen are women. The First Minister avoided a "yes or no" question on the subject in Holyrood on Thursday afternoon. Instead he stated that the Scottish Government accepts the Supreme Courts judgement "that a woman in the Equality Act 2010 is defined by biological sex." Swinney had previously avoided the question during his anti-Reform summit on Wednesday. Scottish Tory MSP Douglas Ross asked during First Minister's Questions: "This is a very straightforward question . "Does the First Minister believe that a trans woman is a woman: yes or no?" Swinney replied: "I've set out that the Scottish Government accepts the judgement of the Supreme Court which ruled that a woman in the Equality Act 2010 is defined by biological sex." On Wednesday, April 16, the country's top judges unanimously ruled that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law in a case brought against the Scottish Government by the group For Women Scotland. A judge also ordered that Scottish schools must provide single-sex toilets on Wednesday. At the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scottish Borders Council conceded that they legally need to provide male and female toilets. Parents had brought the case to court after the authority only installed gender neutral toilets. Alba MSP Ash Regan urged for such policies to be withdrawn during FMQs. Regan said: "The Court of Session ruling against Scottish Borders Council marks yet another legal failure to uphold long-standing protections for women and children - this time involving a primary school child. "It exposes this broader pattern of public bodies disregarding the Equality Act of 2010 and other regulations in place since 1967. "The undue influence of activist lobby groups, like LGBT Youth Scotland, has led to policies breaching single-sex safeguards. "All such policies must now be withdrawn. "Will public funding finally be withdrawn from organisations that are wrongly advising that gender self-ID is lawful in Scotland when it never has been?" Swinney replied: "Throughout this whole discussion I have made clear that the rule of law must be the central consideration of the actions of government. "That is what we will take forward in all of our judgements . "I am aware of the judicial review announcement which was announced by the Court of Session yesterday in relation to Scottish Borders Council. "That is not a judgment that involves the Government. It involves Scottish Borders Council. "But of course the government will consider the issues that arise out of that as we consider all aspects of the reform of regulation that is required." To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here
