Reform UK deputy Richard Tice opened the door to working with BrewDog’s James Watt on his bid to emulate Elon Musk and cut wasteful spending.
Nigel Farage’s No2 called the Ellon businessman a “good man” and congratulated him on his recent marriage to Made in Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo.
Mr Watt recently launched his own “Shadow Doge” scheme, similar to world’s richest man Mr Musk’s cost-cutting drive in the United States.
Meanwhile, Mr Tice criticised “ludicrous amounts of waste and incompetence” in government spending during a visit to a Glasgow takeaway where he unveiled two more councillor defections to Reform.
That would suggest there’s plenty for his boss Mr Farage and Mr Watt to see eye-to-eye on.
Is Reform a perfect match for the ex-BrewDog CEO, and would Mr Tice like to see him run for the party in the north-east?
“James is a good man, and we should pass congratulations because he’s just got married – I think – to Georgia Toffolo,” the Reform deputy told The Press and Journal.
“We see waste absolutely everywhere.
“It’s madness, the waste of taxpayers’ hard-earned cash on daft schemes.
“People are sick of it. It’s just got to stop.”
He added: “I’ll work with anybody that wants to make people better off.
“I think we’re the only people with policies about cutting waste.”
Mr Watt and the Reform leader are already acquainted.
The BrewDog founder attended Mr Farage’s 60th birthday party last year.
Aberdeenshire could be fertile ground for Reform at the next Holyrood election.
The party will be hoping to gain at least two MSPs in the North East region at Holyrood
Businessman Conrad Ritchie picked up 26% of the vote for Reform in a Fraserburgh council byelection last November.
The party’s best Scottish result at the last Westminster election came in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, costing Tory leader Douglas Ross his seat.
There will be no love lost between Reform and the Conservatives as the parties scrap for seats in the north-east next year.
One Reform insider told the P&J there was an audible cheer at Mr Tice’s count last July when Mr Ross lost to the SNP.
It was in Aberdeenshire where Mr Farage’s party gained its first Scottish councillors last year after two former Tories defected.
Reform will be eyeing more to further bruise the Conservatives.
But any would-be defectors will be hoping Mr Tice can actually remember their names if they make the switch.
The Reform deputy was unable to give the full names of his party’s two newest councillors – both in the central belt – when asked by journalists.
Central to Mr Farage and Mr Tice’s north-east push will be the party’s support for oil and gas.
Mr Tice wants a “drill, Scotland, drill” policy, emulating Donald Trump across the Atlantic.
“We’ve got plenty of oil and gas,” he said. “We’ve just got to have the courage to use it.”
The P&J contacted Mr Watt for comment.
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