Big Malky comes under fire for his rugby club dressing room behaviour …
by Bill Heaney
Most people knew Reform UK were going to make an ass of themselves in this Scottish Parliament election campaign …
And today Scots only had to wait until The Daily Record hit the news stands and it was right there in front of them, splashed all over the front page:
EXCLUSIVE: Malcolm Offord cracked the vile joke about the pop star’s late partner in 2018.
Reform’s leader in Scotland, the man the lads in Greenock used to call Big Malky, had allegedly apologised after cracking a “disgusting homophobic joke about the partner of late pop star George Michael.”
What a tosser Lord Offord is, has been and will be.
Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar, the Conservative Russell Findlay, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and the Liberal Democrats’ Alex Cole Hamilton would have a significant struggle to be included in the statesman category.
But Big Malky is being laughed at and being described at the worst thing to come out of Inverclyde since the Glen Sannox left the stocks at the Ferguson Marine shipyard.
Paul Hutcheon’s scoop is a cracker.
He has written that an eye witness told the Record that Offord told the extended joke in 2018 while giving a Burns Night speech at the London Scottish rugby club.
He had been appointed as the chair of the club in 2017 and his speech was delivered at the Richmond Athletic ground in the UK Capital.
Ian Lewer, 41, who is from Surrey, attended the event with his wife.
In a statement, Lewer told the Record Offord’s speech was peppered with references to Michael, the gay icon who passed away in 2016.
Michael, known for worldwide hits including ‘Freedom 90’ and ‘Fast Love’, was in a relationship with Fawaz at the time of his death.
George Michael on stage performing during the Live Aid Concert.“At that time Malcolm Offord was a chairman of the club and made an after dinner speech.
“I had no idea who he was until then, I had not met or heard of him.
“The fact he was clearly intoxicated added another awkward dimension to the experience.”
He added: “But the worst part was a shocking story at the expense of Fadi Fawaz, George Michael’s partner at the time of his death.”
The Record is choosing not to repeat the joke in the interests of taste.
Lewer said: “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.
“I’m not a prude, I’m up for banter. But there is banter and taking things to that level. I don’t know who in their right mind would say something like that.
“It is utterly bizarre that anyone would get up and make a speech in a room with 200 people and say something like that.
“It was so shocking I’ve not forgotten it.
He concluded: “I remembered it again when I became aware he had become leader of Reform in Scotland. He seems to have a strong chance of becoming an MSP, perhaps a powerful MSP.
“I felt people in Scotland should know before they cast their votes.”
A source close to Offord said he apologised in the “moment” and “took ownership” of the mistake.
The source said he made a financial contribution to an LGBT rugby group and insisted Offord is not homophobic.
Scottish Labour equalities spokesperson Paul O’Kane said: “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.
“Lord Offord attempted to pass off some of the reprehensible remarks made previously by his party’s candidates in Scotland as being okay because they are ‘not politicians’.
“This just demonstrates that Reform UK do not represent the people of Scotland. Only Scottish Labour can beat the SNP and give the people of Scotland the chance to take a new direction.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene said: “As a gay politician, I’ve been on the receiving end of some fairly unpleasant commentary over the years.
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.
“I haven’t heard the joke in question, perhaps Lord Offord can share it with the rest of the country in his next TV debate.
“Sadly, nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the bile emanating from the mouth of Reform; one wonders how much lower they might sink.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay said: “These allegations are extremely serious and concerning.
“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. This exposes the hateful bigotry that is rife in the Reform Party, and the fact it is coming from the top says it all.”
Offord stood down as chairman in 2022 after he became a Conservative peer and Minister.
He defected to Reform last year and was hand picked by Nigel Farage to lead the right wing party in Scotland.
Reform announced their Holyrood candidates last week and Offord has been under pressure over the extreme comments of some of the hopefuls.
One candidate, Senga Beresford, backed far right thug Tommy Robinson and called for Muslims to be deported, while Linda Holt described former SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf as an “Islamist moron”.
Nearly three quarters of Reform’s Holyrood constituency candidates are men.