A Labour Minister has ridiculed Reform UK over its claim Sir Keir Starmer is "terrifed" of the threat posed by Nigel Farage.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray rejected the suggestion from Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice that the populist party could supplant Labour north of the border.
Speaking after a speech in Edinburgh, Murray said: "We're certainly not terrified of a party (whose deputy leader) doesn't know the name of his own councillors."
The Edinburgh South MP added: “We’ve set out our stall, we’ve set out our missions."
Richard Tice was being quizzed by journalists in Glasgow
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Murray appeared to be taking a jab at Tice after the Boston & Skegness MP was unable to recall the surnames of new defectors James Gray and Ross Lambie.
In a quip about Tice making the blunder during a visit to a fish and chip shop, Murray claimed the deputy Reform leader had been "battered" by the questions he faced in Scotland's largest city.
Farage's right-hand man initiallly refused to name the Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire Councillors when pushed by journalists near the Val D'oro chip shop.
Tice eventually confirmed the first names, saying: "We've got John and Ross."
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PAWhen pushed further, Tice replied: "Are you going to challenge me on everything or are you going to ask me a politics question? I’m answering policy questions."
Being unable to confirm the pair's surnames following repeated requests, Tice added: "John and Ross, next question?"
Despite the awkward encounter, Reform's deputy leader appeared optimistic about the 2026 Holyrood Election.
"We're polling pretty close to Labour and if we keep this momentum, who knows, we might be polling above Labour," he said.
Nigel Farage is in a sticky situation after Rupert Lowe was suspended by Reform UK
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"We're going to get a good number of seats here and we're excited about that."
Recent polls have predicted the populist party will take 15 seats in the Scottish Parliament.
However, it is not yet known how Rupert Lowe's suspension could impact Reform in the opinion polls.
Lowe lost the party whip after being accused of bullying two female members of staff and threatening physical violence against Reform chairman Zia Yusuf.
The 67-year-old denies the allegations made against him.
