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Reform UK leader Offord reveals wealth and tax controversy

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Key Points
  • Malcolm Offord disclosed owning six houses, six boats, and five cars, and paying £45 million in tax over 40 years.
  • Offord faced criticism for driving an untaxed Range Rover to a debate, which Reform UK called an administrative oversight.
  • Political opponents, including Ross Greer and Anas Sarwar, criticized Offord's wealth and values, with Greer suggesting a yacht tax.

Malcolm Offord, the Reform UK leader in Scotland, has revealed he owns six houses, six boats, and five cars, and paid £45 million in tax over 40 years, sparking political controversy over wealth and tax issues. Offord, a life peer who defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in December and became its Scottish leader a month later, made the disclosure during a press conference. He said he went to London 40 years ago with £2,000 of debt and built a successful business career employing hundreds of thousands of people.

The revelation came alongside reports that Offord drove an untaxed Range Rover to a televised leaders' debate, with vehicle tax due on April 1 not paid on time. Reform UK described the failure as an 'administrative oversight', and Offord said he was 'mortified' by the incident. Political opponents reacted sharply.

Fewer people like you.

Ross Greer, Scottish Green co-leader

Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer said he wants fewer people like Offord in Scotland and that a yacht tax is 'not off the table'. According to Daily Mail - News, Greer described the possibility of taxing yachts after Offord's disclosure. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called Offord 'entitled' and criticized his values, while also stating he wants wealth creation but fair distribution.

Offord's 52-foot yacht Braveheart has no toilet, beds, or galley. Offord has proposed arming all frontline police officers in Scotland with Tasers. He called the Green manifesto 'extremist'.

I'm glad you've finally admitted how many homes you have, Lord Offord. You don't need six homes, you don't even need two homes, everyone just needs a home to live in. Surely if we're to tackle the housing emergency, the super super-rich elite individuals like you should be giving up some of those homes so people who desperately need a roof over their head actually have somewhere to live.

Ross Greer, Scottish Green co-leader

Offord made a sizeable donation to the Conservative Party in 2021 and was put in the House of Lords by Boris Johnson. He previously served as a Conservative minister and stepped back from the Lords when he defected to Reform. In other Scottish political controversies, Glasgow candidate Thomas Kerr claimed Glasgow has 'become lawless' under the SNP, according to Daily Mail - News.

Anas Sarwar accused the Scottish government of a cover-up over the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital scandal, while John Swinney said the inquiry would provide answers for families.

We would tax people like you to pay for it.

Ross Greer, Scottish Green co-leader

I want to see wealth creation in this country, but I want to see that wealth fairly distributed. My beef with Malcolm Offord is on his values and what he pretends to represent. This guy wants to pretend he's great champion of working class communities - his politics have been disastrous for working class communities and for Scotland for decades, and that's why he deserves to be rejected.

Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader

A yacht tax is definitely not off the table now that it turns out there are some people are hoarding yachts just as much as they're hoarding houses.

Ross Greer, Scottish Green co-leader

We would tax people like you to pay for it.

Ross Greer, Scottish Green co-leader

Truth and justice.

Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader

Become lawless with a rapid rise in rapes and sexual assaults.

Thomas Kerr, Glasgow candidate for Reform UK
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