Was Offord right to reveal details of his vast wealth?

That all stopped when the Reform UK leader in Scotland turned his attention to Greer, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens.

In words that will surely go down as some of the most memorable ever uttered in a Scottish election debate, Offord declared: “I worked hard and I was successful. Today, I own six houses, five cars and six boats. And in a 40-year business career I employed thousands of people, and paid £45 million in tax. I do not say that to boast.”

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He asked if the Greens would want more or less people like him in Scotland.

“Fewer people like you,” Greer said.

“I think it’s worth, at this point in the debate, pointing out that there are three times as many holiday homes and empty properties in this country as there are homeless children.

“You don’t need six homes, you don’t even need two homes, everybody just needs a home to live in."

It was a key moment in the debate - and indeed in the whole election campaign - as the two polar opposite world views of Reform and the Greens collided.

Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer (Image: Colin Mearns)

So in a country not that comfortable with ostentatious displays of wealth, why did Offord do it and was he was right to do so?

The point, I think, Offord was making was that he had come from humble beginnings - a tenement in Greenock - and through his talents, his education, the opportunities that were presented to him and his work ethic, he had now amassed a considerable fortune - some of which he had put into the economy with £45m in tax. "You too could be like me," appeared to be his suggestion to voters.

And to Greer, the inference would have been: "More people like me will be good for the economy".

Offord's readiness to share the details of his wealth came as a surprise as the former businessman has to date been rather coy on the subject.

Perhaps, as someone standing to be First Minister, he felt in the interests of transparency he should be upfront about his finances.

Maybe he reckoned they would come out publicly anyway, and were best to come from him rather than a hostile media organisation.

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They certainly made many viewers sit up and were of course seized on by Offord's opponents.

A PA journalist covering the event pointed out that the SNP leader John Swinney came up to him afterwards in the spin room to make sure he was aware he owned just one home.

Speaking to reporters in Edinburgh today Swinney again pointed out he owns one house, one car and no "boating craft" as he accused Offord of being “completely and utterly out of touch” and “tone deaf” to the struggles some families are facing during the cost-of-living crisis.

And responding swiftly the Scottish Greens have unveiled plans for an "Offord tax" to stop the super-rich from hoarding homes during a housing emergency.

With polling showing Reform is narrowly on course to come second in next week's election, just ahead of Labour, his comments could potentially have a major impact.

Some of the right-wing populist party's hopes of winning support are based on persuading some of the poorest Scots to vote for it.

After Offord's wealth revelations will this group of voters be convinced?

With just a week to go before polling day could a suspicion emerge among them that rather than ordinary workers benefitting from the march of Reform it will actually be the super rich that stand most to gain?

Certainly that is what the SNP, Labour and the Greens will be telling voters between now and Thursday next week.