EDINBURGH — UK Scotland Office minister Lord Malcolm Offord said Friday he remains “fully fit to serve as first minister” should the Scottish Conservatives ever form a government, rejecting accusations of homophobia after a joke about the late pop star George Michael triggered a political backlash.
Speaking to reporters outside Westminster, Offord acknowledged he had “got the tone wrong” during a private Burns Night address to business leaders in Glasgow last week. According to two people who attended the dinner, the peer referenced Michael’s 1998 arrest for public indecency while comparing the singer’s behaviour to that of rival politicians. “I’ve apologised unreservedly,” Offord said. “I do not harbour homophobic views and my record shows that.”
The remarks surfaced on Tuesday when an audio clip was circulated on social media, prompting condemnation from opposition MSPs and LGBT-rights campaigners. Scottish Labour’s equalities spokesperson, Paul O’Kane, called the joke “crass and outdated,” while the charity Stonewall urged ministers to “set a higher bar for public discourse.”
Offord, a former venture-capital executive elevated to the Lords in 2021, has been tipped by some Conservatives as a potential successor to Douglas Ross at Holyrood. Asked whether the controversy had damaged that prospect, he replied: “People expect honesty. I owned the mistake immediately. Leadership means learning from it and moving on.”
Party officials said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak considers the matter closed, noting that Offord’s apology was accepted by the LGBT+ Conservatives group. However, one senior Scottish Tory strategist told SourceRated the incident “reinforces a perception problem” for a party already struggling to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional base.
Analysts point out that Scotland’s next parliamentary election is not due until 2026, giving Offord time to rehabilitate his public image. “Voters have short memories, but only if there are no repeat offences,” said Dr. Fiona MacKinnon, politics lecturer at the University of Strathclyde. “Any further missteps on social issues could be fatal.”
Attention now turns to next month’s Scottish Conservative conference in Aberdeen, where activists will decide whether to endorse Offord for a newly created policy commission. Opposition parties are expected to keep the pressure on: the SNP signalled it will table a motion condemning “casual homophobia” in public life when Holyrood returns from recess.
With Pride events scheduled across Scotland this summer, observers say ministers will have little margin for error. “There is a heightened sensitivity to language,” MacKinnon added. “How Offord engages with the LGBT community between now and then will determine whether this story remains a footnote or a defining moment.”