There is a common perception in British politics that Nigel Farage and the rise of the Reform UK party is a very English phenomenon.
Indeed, First Minister John Swinney defended his decision to exclude Reform from a summit he convened last month to discuss the “threat” from the far right.
This was despite the new party winning 7% of the vote in Scotland at last July’s general election and recent evidence suggesting its support has significantly increased.
In reality, as the recent council elections in England demonstrated, there’s a lot of apathy and disillusionment among voters towards the mainstream parties, whether it’s Labour and Conservative at Westminster or the SNP at Holyrood.
So much so that a Survation poll last Wednesday revealed that Reform is on course to become the main opposition to the Nationalists after next year’s Scottish elections.
So who are the Scots who are switching to Reform and why are they doing so? And, among their younger followers, what issues are motivating them?
Peterhead teenager on why he’s voting Reform
Let’s find out by asking them.
Peterhead teenager Lewis Gibbons spoke to the Press & Journal about why he backs Reform UK and covered many different strands, claiming it was more and more difficult for youngsters to find jobs, afford mortgages and plan for the future.
Dismissing Labour and the Tories as a “uniparty” and deriding the SNP as a group fixated with matters such as gender recognition and net zero, he spoke about the swell of support which he says he has witnessed in the north-east of Scotland.
‘The present system is broken’
At a recent meeting in Inverurie, the 19-year-old told me there was “a sense of everyone being in the same boat, not very happy about the way things are, and desperate for change, from all walks of life and ages.”
He believes the Reform bandwagon is rolling fast.
He said: “I very much fear for my future and if I’ll able to afford having a family, as the ability to own a home for young people is increasingly looking unobtainable, and therefore having a family is put off as unaffordable.
“Reform is the only party that seems to talk about this and advocates for the younger generation which makes a stark difference when compared to the other parties.
‘Immigration is an issue in Scotland’
“Their way of reaching out to younger people is with silly identity politics, whereas Reform offer genuine hope I will have the same opportunities as generations before.
“Reform are the only party serious about immigration and it’s obvious that the Conservatives and Labour are pro-mass immigration and that is having a detrimental effect on the future of young people’s lives.”
The party has been dubbed far-right by some.
Lewis disagrees.
He continued: “Reform are not ‘far-right’ at all. It was a centre-right position to be against mass immigration in the 2000s and yet, somehow, now we are told it’s a position that only the ‘far-right’ are concerned with?
“Reform aren’t far right, just right, in the sense they’re sensible and offering policies not based on ideology, but based on reversing the damage done by the other parties.
‘There is deep concern over this’
“The usual argument [from the traditional parties] goes that Scots aren’t having enough children and we need people to pay into the system.
“However, instead of helping young people afford homes to start families, offering tax incentives to have children and lifting the burden… instead, these parties just turn to mass immigration, which locks young Scots out of owning a home or having children.”
Lewis was willing to talk openly and provide pictures for us. Others were less forthcoming, fearing they would face a backlash from social media.
Yet it was clear that others shared his opinions on the perceived lack of help being offered to those at the start of their lives in Scotland.
A Fraserburgh woman who voted Yes in 2014, and is now with Reform
Debbie Buchan, “in her late 20s” from Fraserburgh, said: “I voted Yes for independence in 2014 and I honestly thought we could make a fresh start, but I’m with Reform now.
“Everywhere you look, from the crumbling NHS to Scotland’s failure to build ferries or dual roads, it is obvious the Scottish Government has run out of ideas after 18 years.
“There’s a sense of decay, of nothing getting done and of nobody caring about the young. It’s all old men running the planet and they don’t speak for me.”
Political momentum is a bit like the stock market. It can go up or down very quickly and there’s no guarantee that Reform UK will maintain its charge in the months ahead.
Yet I noticed something pervasive about the protests: a mounting disenchantment with slick slogans and party promises which are often discarded after elections.
‘They don’t care about us’ says Inverness Reform voter
Alan Wilkie, 27, from Inverness, told me: “I’ve come to loathe the lot of them, Tory, Labour, SNP, Lib Dems, you name it, they spend their time arguing with each other.
“None of them give a stuff about what so many young people are facing up here in the Highlands. Reform might be a protest vote, but I think it’s one worth making [in 2026].”
Former Fraserburgh candidate’s take
North-east businessman Conrad Ritchie stood for Reform and lost in last year’s Fraserburgh and District by-election.
He says his party will be promoting its policies at events across the region during the summer.
He said: “Reform is absolutely serious, we are ready to stand and campaign in every mainland seat in next year’s Holyrood elections.
‘Our message is striking a chord’
“We are appealing to all ages of society and are [seeing] a surge in those under the age of 25 becoming active party members.
“Our Scottish policies are under development and we shall be explaining these in the north-east at various agricultural shows starting at Stonehaven in early June.
“It is entirely possible that Reform can win up to 20 seats in the election next May.
“A projected result like this will shake up what has become a very stale parliament.”
Policies still have to be unveiled…
Time will tell. The political landscape seems to change every second hour these days or whenever Donald Trump posts something new on his Truth Social platform.
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