Reform UK Scotland Chief Says Sorry for Crude George Michael Joke

Malcolm Offord, the newly appointed leader of Reform UK in Scotland, has issued a full apology after an old homophobic joke he told in 2018 resurfaced and caused outrage.

The peer mocked George Michael’s grieving boyfriend Fadi Fawaz with a sexual gag during a Burns Night speech at a London rugby club, the Daily Record revealed today.

Offord has now said sorry and made a donation to an LGBT charity.

What Exactly Did He Say?

The incident happened in January 2018 at the London Scottish Rugby Club in Richmond, where Offord had been chairman since 2017.

Eyewitness Ian Lewer, 41, from Surrey, was in the audience with his wife.

He told the Daily Record that Offord delivered an extended joke that ended with a punchline implying Fadi Fawaz had performed a sex act on George Michael after the singer’s death on Christmas Day 2016.

Fawaz discovered Michael’s body at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

The hairdresser faced years of online abuse and false claims after the tragedy.

Offord’s Quick Apology

A Reform UK spokesman confirmed the story and issued this statement on Offord’s behalf:

“Malcolm deeply regrets the remarks made in 2018. They were completely inappropriate and do not reflect his views or those of Reform UK.

He has made a donation to an LGBT charity and apologises unreservedly to anyone who was offended.”

The peer, who was made Lord Offord of Garvel in 2021 and served as a Scotland Office minister under the Conservatives until last year, took the Reform Scotland job only last month.

Why This Matters Now

Reform UK has been trying to clean up its image in Scotland after a string of candidate scandals involving racist and homophobic posts.

The party is polling neck-and-neck with the Conservatives north of the border and hopes to win seats in the 2026 Holyrood election.

This fresh controversy comes at the worst possible time.

LGBT activists say the joke was not just “lads banter” but part of a pattern of casual homophobia that still hurts people.

Stonewall Scotland told the Record: “Jokes like this cause real harm, especially when they come from people in power. We welcome the apology and the donation, but words alone don’t change culture.”

Public Reaction Growing Fast

On social media the story spread quickly this afternoon.

Many users expressed disgust that someone in Offord’s position thought the joke was acceptable even eight years ago.

One wrote: “Imagine thinking it’s funny to mock a man who found his partner dead. Vile.”

Others pointed out that Reform UK has previously expelled members for less.

As one X user said: “They threw out candidates for old tweets but kept the guy who told sex jokes about dead pop stars?”

By Monday evening #MalcolmOfford was trending in Scotland.

The row is another headache for Nigel Farage, who has been pushing for Reform to be seen as a serious alternative to the main parties.

Offord’s apology may draw a line under the incident, but it has reminded voters that the party’s rapid growth has sometimes come with candidates and officials carrying old baggage.

For a party that says it wants to “speak for ordinary people”, making cruel jokes about grief and sexuality is a bad look.

Many will be watching to see if Reform UK really has changed, or if this is just the latest example of saying one thing in public and another in private.

What do you think? Was the apology enough, or should he step down as Scotland leader? Let us know in the comments and use #MalcolmOfford if you’re talking about it on social media.