Published 19th Oct 2026, 12:51 BST
It would have been a pretty safe bet to gamble on Reform UK losing an MSP over the course of this Scottish Parliament term.
The party gained 17 seats in May, with only one of them having been elected to Holyrood before.
Several candidates’ controversial comments came up during the campaign - including Malcolm Offord. Some of them even stood down after being selected.
So it was expected that one MSP would end up losing the whip at some point. Probably for some extreme comments which the party deemed were too far.
But perhaps it wasn’t thought that it would happen so quickly - or that the member would leave of their own volition.
The news that Amanda Bland was no longer in Reform UK emerged after she was listed as an independent on the Scottish Parliament’s website.
A source inside Reform UK is suggesting that Ms Bland was facing a talking to from the party’s business manager after two members of her staff left recently.
They are suggestingthat she was not a team player and had a “maverick mindset”.
But there are two sides to every story.
In a media appearance a few months ago, the former police officer came across as thoughtful and considered.
When asked about Nigel Farage claiming Henry Nowak’s murder showed there was “two-tier policing” in the UK, she sought to explain his comments in a reasonable manner rather than staunchly defend them.
In a newspaper interview, she has also spoken about the domestic violence her mother suffered at the hands of her father, saying it is important to break the taboo of silence around abuse.
Her comments were deliberate and not reactionary.
These forays into the media have not made her seem like much of a maverick.
It is unclear if she will stay as an independent or join another party. The Conservatives may be on the prowl, but she has never been a Tory.
Ms Bland leaving Reform UK is a problem for Malcolm Offord. His status in the Scottish Parliament has been diminished and he is now only just one seat ahead of the Greens.
No wise person would rule out another one or two MSPs leaving Reform or losing the whip over the course of the parliament.
New leader Michael Marra was having to alternate the prime FMQs slot with Mr Offord and now he has it to himself.
But now he has done in five weeks what Anas Sarwar could not do in five years (and two elections).
He has taken Scottish Labour to second place in Holyrood for the first time in over a decade.
Being the main opposition to the SNP means he can present himself as a future first minister.
Even though they have a very low number of MSPs, people will now take Labour a bit more seriously.
Whether Labour can have much cut through is another thing.
But this is a platform to build on.