Badenoch Declares Scottish Conservatives the Sole 'Common Sense' Party, Criticizes Reform UK

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has asserted that the Scottish Conservatives are the only party at Holyrood offering "common sense," while simultaneously criticizing the performance of Reform UK.

Speaking at a Scottish Conservative event in Birmingham, Badenoch directly addressed the party's recent by-election success in Aberdeen South, which saw the Conservative candidate secure nearly 50 percent of the vote, defeating the SNP. She characterized this victory as a significant indicator that "the Conservative Party is coming back."

Badenoch also recounted the decision not to form a pact with Reform UK for the Aberdeen South by-election, stating that had such an agreement been made, the victory would have been "tainted." She emphasized the importance of the Conservatives standing their ground and fighting for their values, including support for the oil and gas sector, which she highlighted as crucial for jobs in Aberdeen.

"There is only one party of common sense in the Scottish Parliament and it is the Conservative Party," Badenoch declared. She further commented on the performance of Reform UK's Scottish leader, Lord Malcolm Offord, suggesting that he and his fellow MSPs have been ineffective. "Malcolm Offord still trying to find out where the loos are in the Scottish Parliament. He doesn’t know which way he is going," Badenoch remarked.

In an interview with the Mail, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay echoed these sentiments, condemning what he described as the "amateurism" of Reform UK. Findlay stated that despite the Scottish Conservatives' reduced numbers in Holyrood, his party remains the "real opposition." He characterized Reform's MSPs as failing to hold the SNP government accountable, describing their contributions as "smoke and mirrors, talk and bluster with no real competency and ability."

Findlay referred to his party's 12 MSPs as a "dynamic dozen" ready to challenge the SNP on key issues. "Any reasonable observer right now, looking at the period since the election, would say that the Scottish Conservatives have been and will continue to be the real opposition," he asserted.

Badenoch also revisited her controversial statement that Edinburgh, rather than Birmingham, is the UK's second city, maintaining her position that "Birmingham may have more people but Edinburgh is the second city."