SCOTTISH Green co-leader Ross Greer warned his party has to run its “biggest and most effective” Holyrood election campaign ever in a bid to counter Reform’s rising popularity.

Polling ahead of next May’s Scottish election suggests Reform could return a sizeable group — with some polls even showing Nigel Farage’s party in second place.

Mr Greer said he is focused on “defeating the really hateful politics that are going to arrive in this Parliament come May.”

He said this to be “unbelievably important for the future of this country” and that his party has to run its best Holyrood election campaign yet.

“The only way we can be that counter weight to the really hateful politics that is on the rise is, bluntly, if we get our shit together, and run the biggest and most effective campaign we’ve ever ran,” Mr Greer said.

Scottish Greens must also use next year’s campaign to “really hammer home the areas where we have delivered policies” during the party’s time in government with the SNP, he said.

He accepted that being in power with the SNP had been a “bruising experience” for the party.

But he made clear he would give “really serious consideration” to going into government again, should the political make-up at Holyrood make this a possibility.

Mr Greer, who became the new co-leader of his party along with fellow Green MSP Gillian Mackay in August, said the Scottish Greens could potentially come “close to doubling” the eight MSPs they won in 2021.

He added: “Next year has to be the biggest ever Scottish Green election campaign, because the stakes are higher than they have been in a long time.”

Reform currently has just one MSP at Holyrood, who defected from the Tories.