Thomas Kerr: Don't call me a grifter

Reform UK’s deputy leader in Scotland, Thomas Kerr, has said that being called a ‘grifter’ “gets under my skin”.

Speaking to Holyrood, Kerr said his involvement with the Labour Party, the Conservatives and now Reform had led to him being called “a grifter” by some critics.  

But he insisted his principles “haven’t changed” and it was political parties who had “shifted so dramatically”.

He said: “The thing that gets under my skin slightly is when they use the phrase ‘grifter’ to describe me as having gone from different parties.  

“And I have. I went from the Labour Party to the Tories to Reform. My argument is that I didn’t politically change my beliefs; those political parties shifted so dramatically, and I moved along with the electorate.”

He said it was “fair criticism” to say he had been a part of three political parties (though he added that having been involved with Labour at just 10 years old, “I don’t think you can hold me accountable for that part”).  

But he said: “It’s probably fair to say I’ve shifted politically in terms of my party, but my beliefs and principles haven’t changed.”

The Glasgow MSP also told Holyrood  he believes there is two-tier policing in Scotland, in the wake of comments made by Nigel Farage earlier this month following the conviction of Henry Nowak’s killer, Vickrum Digwa.  

Farage said at the time: “It is now clear that we are living under two-tier policing. The instructions that are given to police officers by police bosses are clear and written down in ink. It says you must treat different ethnic groups in different ways.”

Asked about his response to these comments, Kerr said: “I think if you are a white, working-class young man, you are treated very differently by police. And it’s not the police’s fault; it’s because of the justice system. And I do think that exists right through the whole country, and I think we have to have an honest and open debate about that.”

When asked about a report from the UK Government, published in November 2025, which found Black and other ethnic groups are more likely to face incarceration than white British individuals, he said: “I accept that there were issues in the past. People, particularly from ethnic minorities, who have been penalised and attacked, I absolutely accept that but I think we have gone too far one way, and I think we’ll start to see that over the next few years that it has been the case that we do not treat people fairly.  

“I don’t care about the colour of someone's skin. If you break the law, you should be treated with the full force of the law, and I do think if you go to working-class communities, policing feels very different to other areas.”

Kerr also spoke about the breakdown of his relationship with his previous partner, with whom he shares a son, saying they “were very different people”.

He is now living with Aimee Alexander, Reform UK’s candidate for Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill at the Scottish parliament election.

Speaking about finding the balance between politics and his relationship, he said: “We’re still finding that balance, but I’m absolutely loving it.”