Reform UK’s Ross Lambie: A Dark Horse in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse By-Election
As the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse head to the polls on Thursday, one candidate who has been making waves in the campaign is Ross Lambie, the Reform UK candidate. According to The Times, Lambie, a 41-year-old architect, farmer, and entrepreneur, has had a gaffe-free campaign, which has impressed party insiders. [1]
Lambie’s journey to Reform UK was not without controversy. He was revealed as one of the party’s latest recruits, alongside John Gray, a councillor from Renfrewshire, at a Glasgow chippy in March. However, The Times reported that Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, couldn’t remember their names at the event. [1]
Despite this rocky start, Lambie has impressed party insiders with his campaign. A Reform UK source told The Times that Lambie had “acquitted himself well” during the campaign and had been a “great ambassador” for the party. The source added that Lambie had “proved we have a wealth of available talent who can step up to the plate for the Holyrood elections next year.” [1]
Lambie’s background is quite different from that of his Labour counterpart, Davy Russell. Lambie was born and raised in a small mining village in South Lanarkshire to working-class parents from Larkhall. He describes himself as an architect, farmer, entrepreneur, and former lecturer. Lambie graduated as an architect from the Glasgow School of Art and set up his own practice 17 years ago. He also teaches architectural students at various universities across the UK.
According to The Times, Lambie’s architectural portfolio, as part of Ross Alexander Lambie Architects, contains an array of prime residential properties in central London, including a luxury development at 80 Holland Park. [1]
Lambie’s defection to Reform UK came as a surprise to some. Poppy Corbett, another South Lanarkshire councillor who left the Conservatives for Reform UK, described Lambie as a “salt of the earth kind of guy — quiet but very intelligent.” She added that he was “very passionate about areas on the council that he cared about” and was “sociable and the type of person you could go for a pint with.” [1]
If elected, Lambie has vowed to tackle what he describes as the “horrendous bonfire of taxpayers’ cash on 130 unaccountable quangos and countless more arm’s length organisations.” He also plans to push for performance indicators “at all levels of the civil service, local and government, to ensure that failure is no longer rewarded or swept under the carpet.”
Lambie has also been critical of Holyrood, describing it as “the luxury parliament stuffed with invisible MSPs.” He has vowed to call out MSPs’ and other parties’ “failures to deliver for the people of Scotland.” “They should be ashamed and I’m looking forward to reminding them of their duty,” he said.
As the by-election comes to a close, Lambie will be hoping to pull off an upset and win the seat for Reform UK. According to bookmakers, Reform UK is second-favourite to win on Thursday. Whatever the result, Lambie’s performance has earned him a chance at a winnable list ranking to become an MSP at next year’s Holyrood elections.
In conclusion, Ross Lambie is a dark horse in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. His background, experience, and policies make him a compelling candidate. As The Times reported, Lambie’s campaign has been impressive, and his defection to Reform UK has brought new attention to the party. [1]
References:
[1] The Times: Hamilton, Larkhall by-election: Reform Labour – zz0zxf7l0.
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