No Borders, No Vetting and Nick Candy
As Reform’s Holyrood campaign becomes mired in vetting scandals, we delve into the other issues surrounding Offord and Farage not covered by the media. Patrick Woodside reports for Bella.
In 2014, Malcolm Offord (a financier and current Reform UK branch manager in Scotland) founded Vote No Borders, a pro-union campaign that became one of the most controversial groups of the independence referendum. Financier launches ‘No Borders’, a referendum campaign for ‘unpolished’ voters who back the union | Scottish independence |
The Pulled Cinema Advert
The campaign is best remembered for a high-budget cinema advert that was pulled from screens in May 2014.
The advert featured two actors discussing the risks of independence for the NHS.
One actor claimed that after a ‘Yes’ vote, sick Scottish children would have to join a “long list of foreigners” to receive treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London.
GOSH was not consulted and immediately distanced itself from the campaign, stating it “in no way” endorsed the message.
The hospital pointed out that it already has reciprocal agreements to treat patients from many foreign countries, making the “long list of foreigners” claim misleading.
Under pressure from the hospital and a wave of public complaints, the advert was withdrawn from cinemas and the internet.
Why it was called “Astroturfing”?
The term “astroturfing” refers to a fake “grassroots” movement that is actually funded and directed by wealthy individuals or PR firms.
Vote No Borders was heavily criticised for this by independence supporters.
Fake Grassroots: The campaign launched as a “people’s campaign” for “ordinary Scots”and promised to be a “politician-free zone”. There’s echoes of these claims in Reform UK’s Scottish candidates.
In reality, it was set up by Offord—a wealthy financier and major Conservative party donor—and managed by a London-based PR firm, Acanchi Ltd.
The group spent approximately £147,510 on campaigning, narrowly avoiding the £150,000 legal limit. It was later fined £7,500 by the Electoral Commission for failing to properly disclose its spending.
For independence supporters, the campaign is often cited as a prime example of “dark money” and Project Fear used by the ‘No’ side.
Dunblane
Back to today and Lord Offord’s boss, Nigel Farage has doubled down on calling post-Dunblane handgun laws “ludicrous” and a “knee-jerk” reaction—even as we mark the anniversary of that heartbreaking tragedy where 16 children and a teacher lost their lives.
Such insensitive comments on gun control show a dangerous disregard for Scotland’s deep consensus on public safety and gun reform.
Compounding this, Reform’s treasurer Nick Candy (and his brother) appear repeatedly in Jeffrey Epstein’s files, linked to business dealings and contacts post-conviction—including ties to Ghislaine Maxwell.
It’s an indefensible association that further exposes Reform’s questionable judgment and priorities.
The problem of ‘indefensible associations’ is everywhere as it was revealed ‘Over a dozen Scottish Reform candidates part of racist Facebook group.‘
Especially with how many candidates in Scotland are claimed to have been vetted but it’s taken less than 24hrs for one to be dropped after its branch office conference in Scotland.
Scotland deserves better than a party led by out-of-touch millionaires who mock ordinary lives, flirt with relaxing gun laws, and tolerate troubling connections.
Richard Tice another example after reading out a listeners view from England on water in the UK on TalkTV which stated: “Pump water from the huge Scottish lochs to London.”
Tice replied: “Absolutely brilliant”
This fits Reform’s Westminster bubble disconnect: while Tice obsesses over southern England’s water woes, he ignores (or overlooks) how Scotland’s model works better—public ownership, no sewage scandals on the same scale, cheaper bills.
Pair it with Farage’s post-Dunblane gun-law jibes, Offord’s lavish lifestyle and treasurer Nick Candy’s Epstein-adjacent business ties, and Reform looks like southern millionaires clueless about Scottish realities and priorities.
Scotland’s water, resources, and future belong here—not up for grabs in some imagined UK-wide fix. But there are other extremist links the media has overlooked.
Craig Campbell and Reform Scotland
In December 2024, Reform UK removed Craig Campbell from his position as a party organiser in Scotland following revelations about his family’s links to loyalist terrorism.
Key Details regarding the incident:
Family Ties to Terrorism: Reports revealed Campbell is the son of William “Big Bill” Campbell, a UVF commander jailed in 1979 for bombing Catholic pubs in Glasgow.
His cousin, Jason Campbell, was convicted of the sectarian murder of 16-year-old Celtic fan Mark Scott in 1995.
It was reported that Campbell had posted images on social media comparing the Scottish National Party (SNP) to Nazis.
A Reform UK Scotland spokesperson confirmed on December 18th, 2024, that Campbell was no longer an organiser or member.
Prior to his removal from being Reform branch office organiser in Scotland, Campbell had deleted his social media accounts.
He had previously appeared on BBC Scotland’s Debate Night in October 2024, where he made controversial comments regarding the conflict in Gaza.
This incident is part of a series of issues involving supposed vetted candidates and officials within Reform UK.
some of the guys in Perth who are reform heads, and organise the hostel protests have loyalist terrorist links to.
Vote ScotNat for predatory council and ministerial pederasts who chat-up 14-year-old boys?