Reform UK’s Deputy Leader Richard Tice said it was a “remarkable” result for his party after they came third behind SNP and Scottish Labour who won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-elections in a shock result. Tice also said he was “sad” to see party chair, Zia Yusuf, leave.
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00:00Yes, I was in Glasgow for the count in Hamilton and it was a remarkable result for reform.
00:06I mean, yes, we came third, but it was a three-way marginal and just 750 votes separated three parties, 750 people.
00:16And we're delighted to have come so close to SNP and Labour.
00:21They were both terrified ahead of the results in the count.
00:24It was way too close to call. And for us, it's a seismic, seismic moment.
00:31You know, they had all the data, all the activists. We had none of that.
00:34So, you know, something really significant is happening in Scottish politics.
00:38Eleven months ahead of the Holyrood elections next May.
00:41We've got all the momentum and anything could happen.
00:45And it's actually good for democracy.
00:48Turnout was relatively good at 44 percent and the Tories disappeared down a plug hole.
00:53So we were delighted with the overall result.
00:56Well, the reality is that Zia's done a great job over the last 10 or 11 months.
01:00And we're very sad to see him go, you know, thank him for all his efforts and hard work.
01:06But actually, over 400 branches have been set up from a standing start.
01:11The infrastructure is therefore more professional.
01:14There's always work to do and nothing's sort of static in political parties.
01:19But I think when you see that we won 10 councils, two mayoralties, parliamentary by-election all on one night,
01:26that's because, as a party, we've made great progress professionalising it.
01:30But in a sense, that work never stops.
01:33It's always ongoing. There's always challenges.
01:35You're always trying to make sure that you're thinking.
01:37And look, I think we're a bit more honest about people.
01:40Sometimes we'll make mistakes.
01:41We're moving at great speed.
01:43I sometimes say we're sort of like a 20, 21-year-old.
01:47The Tories are the 80-year-old dinosaurs.
01:50So, you know, we're moving at speed.
01:52But when we make mistakes, we'll learn from them.
01:55Try not to make them again.
01:57But overall, clearly, we are getting many more things right than we are wrong.