Richard Tice called a press conference in Scotland to celebrate two Conservative councillors defecting to Reform UK. But things quickly went downhill when he couldn’t remember their names.
Standing outside a Glasgow chip shop, Tice welcomed Renfrewshire councillor John Gray and South Lanarkshire councillor Ross Lambie to his party. The problem? He couldn’t actually name them.
The awkward moment caught on camera
According to The National, when asked about the defectors’ names, Tice initially dodged the question and disappeared into the chip shop.
When he finally returned, he hesitated. “I’ve got John and Ross, and they’re from…” he began.
Scottish Daily Mail journalist Tom Gordon cut in: “What are their surnames, John and Ross?”
Tice wasn’t impressed. “Are you going to challenge me on everything or are you going to ask a policy question?” he snapped.
Gordon stood firm: “I’ll challenge you on that.”
Tice tried to deflect, insisting he was there to talk about policies. But Gordon pressed on: “My choice of question to you is: what are their full names, and what councils are they from?”
“John and Ross,” Tice repeated.
“What councils are they from?”
At this point, Tice had enough. He turned away and moved on: “Next question. Who’s next?”
Gordon wasn’t letting it slide. “Do you know anything about Scottish politics? You can’t even name your own members up here?”
A PR nightmare for Reform UK
Tice defended himself, saying Reform UK had 10,000 Scottish members and he couldn’t possibly know them all. But that didn’t stop him from posing for photos with the defectors whose names had just escaped him.
Reform UK has been boasting about a surge in defections from the Conservatives and Labour, even setting up a dedicated “defections unit.” The party has also made bold claims about forming the next government after a rise in opinion polls.
But after this blunder, many will be wondering—does their own leadership even know who’s joining them?
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