REFORM UK have suspended two Scottish General Election candidates after they shared posts from far-right figures and hateful anti-trans views.
Nigel Farage’s party took the action after an exclusive investigation by The Ferret.
Stephen McNamara and David McNabb are now suspended, and both are under “immediate investigation".
READ MORE: Reform UK 'don't need' leader in Scotland, says depute chair
McNamara, who was standing for the Kilmarnock and Loudon constituency, was found to have said that trans people have “severe mental illness”, and their “days are numbered” on Twitter/X.
He was also found to share posts promoting gun ownership alongside branding Scottish equalities organisations as ““tax payer funded peadophile (sic) services.”
The candidate for Mid-Dunbartonshire, McNabb, shared a post that said the First Minister was “more Pakistani than Scottish” and therefore should not be able to hold a rugby trophy. He had also shared a video from Katie Hopkins, a far-right commentator.
He had also shared a picture of Humza Yousaf alongside his wife at Murrayfield which included the comment: “Someone should have taken that off of him and shown both of them out the door. He’s more Pakistani than Scottish.”
Reform UK are listed with Companies House, with Farage having control. However, their nominal leader is Richard Tice.
The party has vowed to stand candidates in every single Scottish seat at the next General Election. However, the list of candidates online shows that Reform UK have not yet filled every seat.
The investigation also found that Reform UK’s Scotland organiser, Martyn Greene, previously worked for a lobby group which challenges scientific consensus on climate change.
READ MORE: Poll: Conservatives would be wiped out in Scotland at General Election
Since former Scottish Conservative MSP Michelle Ballantyne stepped down as leader of Reform UK in Scotland in February 2022, the party has gone without an official leader north of the Border.
Following the defection of former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, Lee Anderson MP, to Reform UK – giving the party its first MP – The National approached Reform UK to find out whether they were still without a leader in Scotland more than two years on from Ballantyne’s exit.
David Kirkwood, the party’s deputy chairman in Scotland, said: “Since Michelle Ballantyne resigned we haven't had a formal leader in Scotland but at the moment we don't need one."
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