Scottish politics has been rocked this week by the resurfacing of a homophobic joke made by Malcolm Offord, the recently appointed leader of Reform UK in Scotland, during a Burns Night dinner back in 2018. The incident, which involved a crude remark about the late pop star George Michael and his grieving partner Fadi Fawaz, has drawn sharp condemnation from across the political spectrum and reignited debate about standards in public life.
The controversy first erupted after the Daily Record published accounts from witnesses who attended the dinner at the London Scottish Rugby Club, where Offord was serving as chairman. According to attendee Ian Lewer, the speech was a "bizarre attempt to link the songs of the late George Michael to the works of Robert Burns," interspersed with Offord's questionable dancing and, crucially, a shocking story at the expense of Fadi Fawaz. Lewer, who attended the event with his wife, recalled, "I was sitting next to a gay man and it was clearly an extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant experience for him. At the time I thought it pretty awful and indeed that was the feeling in the room. Even for a rugby club it was a crude, bad taste and insulting spectacle."
Offord has since admitted to having "a bit to drink" that night and said the joke was intended to be "funny through being edgy and shocking," but he instantly regretted it. In a statement posted to social media on March 25, 2026, Offord said, "I made members of the audience uncomfortable and instantly regretted it. I immediately apologised to the club, and made amends by voluntarily donating to the King’s Cross Steelers, the original gay-inclusive rugby union club, to support their travel and participation in the Bingham Cup in Amsterdam. I then also arranged a fixture between my club and theirs." He stressed, "This was a clumsy mistake that I immediately acknowledged and acted upon. I am not homophobic. I am someone who accepts accountability, owns my actions, and makes amends where needed. That is who I am."
Despite his apology, the backlash has been intense and wide-ranging. First Minister John Swinney, speaking during the final First Minister's Questions session before the election campaign, condemned both the joke and the broader culture within Reform UK. "The homophobic joke, an alleged joke by Malcolm Offord, as the leader of Reform in Scotland, is a warning to this country of what is coming our way, because there is no place for homophobia, racism and intolerance, that is what Reform represents, and we have all got to stand up against that bile in our society," Swinney said. He later told journalists at Holyrood, "You're unfit to be a member of the Scottish Parliament with views and attitudes like that, and you know, the thing that would worry... is that if he was to tell that joke at a Reform conference, I suspect lots of people would laugh and applaud."
Other political leaders echoed Swinney’s condemnation. Scottish Labour’s Paul O’Kane called the incident symptomatic of a wider problem, stating, "This just exposes Reform as the nasty party that they are. Whether it is homophobia or racism, there is clearly no low to which they will not sink." O’Kane demanded that Offord make a full public apology or step down as leader of Reform UK in Scotland. SNP Cabinet Secretary Angus Robertson went further, saying, "Lord Offord tolerates extremists, Tommy Robinson fans and Islamophobes as Reform candidates. Turns out he’s got form himself with homophobia. He’s not fit for public office."
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene, himself a gay politician, weighed in: "There are people who aspire to become MSPs in this place who are spouting Islamophobic bile on social media and cracking jokes at the expense of gay people. And 10 years on, I am utterly saddened to hear politicians which use this language which reduces people to adjectives such as dangerous, unwanted and unwelcome." Greene added, "You almost come to expect it from anonymous trolls on social media. You don’t, however, hear it from the mouths of political party leaders." Scottish Greens Co-leader Gillian Mackay called the allegations "extremely serious and concerning," adding, "Homophobia in all forms is not only wrong, it is disgusting and does not represent the Scotland I know, at any level. I am sorry for anyone that had to endure Malcolm Offord’s speech that evening, especially if they are a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Scotland has no place for homophobic abuse inside or outside of politics, an apology is not going to cut it."
Meanwhile, Reform UK’s only MSP at Holyrood, Graham Simpson, publicly backed Offord, insisting that he remains fit to lead the party. When pressed by journalists about the nature of the joke and whether Reform was a homophobic party, Simpson declined to answer directly, but maintained, "He is" fit to lead. Simpson added, "This was a joke that he made eight years ago and he apologised at the time. I would much rather have a leader who apologised when he said something wrong."
Christopher Clannachan, policy and campaigns coordinator at the Equality Network, described Offord’s comments as "vile, homophobic and racist." He warned, "Language like this from senior politicians trickles down into local communities and it gives people licence to then use that against marginalised people and there's absolutely no place for that in Scotland."
The incident has also brought renewed scrutiny to Reform UK’s candidate selection. Offord, who defected from the Conservatives and was handpicked by Nigel Farage to lead Reform UK in Scotland, has faced criticism for defending candidates with extreme views. One candidate, Senga Beresford, has backed far-right figure Tommy Robinson and called for Muslims to be deported, while another, Linda Holt, described former SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf as an “Islamist moron.” Offord has downplayed these incidents, saying, "What we’ve got is a situation in all our lives, in the past, we’ve made comments that might sometimes be intemperate, but the issue with this modern world we live in is everything is now written down and remembered. I just think we have to be more realistic about the fact that real people say real things. We’re not stopping people from standing for Reform UK just because they might have said something fruity in the past."
Offord’s apology and attempts at restitution—his donation to the King’s Cross Steelers and the arrangement of a friendly fixture—have not been enough to quell calls for his resignation. The fact that he was inducted into the London Scottish Rugby Club's hall of fame in May 2023 adds a further layer of complexity to the debate about accountability and redemption in public life.
As Scotland heads into a heated election season, the Offord affair has become a flashpoint, raising questions about the boundaries of acceptable speech, the responsibilities of political leaders, and the kind of society Scots want to build. The outcome may well shape the tone of Scottish politics for years to come.