MILLIONAIRE merchant banker Malcolm Offord has been appointed Reform’s new leader in Scotland, with a reminder that he can be overruled at any time by party head Nigel Farage.

The former peer was treasurer of the Scottish Tories at the beginning of December when he defected to Reform.

But little more than a month later, he signed a letter at a press conference in Kirkcaldy, resigning his seat in the Lords to allow a tilt at elected office in Holyrood in May.

Asked if he could overrule Mr Offord, Mr Farage described himself as the “ultimate leader,” saying: “I am the leader of the party, I have quite a lot of power.”

Describing his leader’s comments as “honest,” Mr Offord, who was appointed without consultation with the company’s 12,000 subscribers in Scotland, nonetheless claimed a mandate to write its Holyrood manifesto.

“It is going to be done here for Reform Scotland,” he said.

SNP deputy leader Keith Brown MSP said: “Farage appointing his man in Scotland underlines exactly what Reform is — a bunch of former Tories who Scotland has already rejected time and time again, pretending to be on the side of ordinary people.

“Lord Offord will do exactly what he is told by Nigel Farage.  

“That is why his party cannot be trusted with any influence in Scotland.”

Echoing the sentiment, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “Lord Offord’s appointment confirms that Reform are simply Tories in disguise — the same team, with a different badge.

“Like so much of Reform’s top brass, Lord Offord was a loyal member of the Tory Party until he saw a chance for personal gain.

“He has bankrolled Tory campaigns and served in the disastrous governments of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, which did so much damage to our country.

“No-one is buying the pretence that Lord Offord is any kind of champion for working people — he is Establishment through and through.”

Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay said: “Malcolm Offord is one of the wealthiest and most right-wing people to ever lead a political party in Scotland.

“As a Tory minister and major donor he backed some of the cruellest and most punishing policies pursued by any UK government this century.

“It goes to show whose interests Reform really has at heart. They are the party of millionaires and the super-rich.”