Russell Findlay’s Scottish Conservative party continues to unravel after Graham Simpson’s defection to Reform made it three departures in a matter of weeks.
Central Scotland MSP Mr Simpson shared a platform with Reform leader Nigel Farage in West Lothian this morning.
His departure follows last week’s resignation of Jamie Balfour, who will sit as an independent, and Jamie Greene, who joined the Liberal Democrats.
Mr Simpson becomes the only Reform MSP in Holyrood but is the second to serve in the parliament after Michelle Ballantyne who led the party in the chamber for a year between 2020 and 2021.
A Survation poll from May projected that Reform UK could win 21 seats in the Scottish parliament in May’s elections, making it the main opposition party, adding to Tory leader Mr Findlay’s problems.
The latest figures in a YouGov poll for The Times and Sky News showed just 20% of voters across the UK would vote for Sir Keir Starmer’s party, while Reform has the lead in England and Wales.
Mr Simpson served as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity from 2020 to 2021.
He said he had decided earlier this year not to stand again for the Scottish Tories, but it was not until the past few weeks he had chosen to jump to Reform UK.
“It’s fair to say that some of you won’t be surprised to see me here, given that the Scottish Tories have been touting my name as a potential defector for months now,” he told a media briefing in West Lothian.
“So today, I’m giving them what they want, but perhaps not for the reasons that they think.
“Leaving the party that I first joined when I was 15 is an enormous wrench, and I’ve been through a lot of soul searching in the past few weeks.
“I watched Reform with interest and I see the opportunity to help create something fresh here in Scotland, and it’s clear that the voters agree in increasing numbers.”
Speaking alongside Mr Simpson, Nigel Farage said there would be a Scottish leader of Reform UK ahead of the election next year, but that it was a “work in progress”.
“We will, of course, have a leader of our group, who will go in as a leader of our group and be a potential first minister,” he said.
Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said: “Yet another lifelong Tory has decided to flee their sinking ship in a bid to save their own career, but it will take more than a new rosette to make Scots forget the damage Tories like Graham Simpson have inflicted on our country over the years.
“It’s clear that Reform are simply Tories by another name, but neither party has any answers to the challenges Scotland faces.
“The Scottish Tories are now a total irrelevance in Scottish politics, but Reform can’t get rid of this incompetent SNP government either.
Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie said: “This is desperate opportunism from Graham Simpson, who has chosen to align with a party that just yesterday said they would work with the Taliban to deport vulnerable people and put them at risk of torture and execution.
“Reform UK are clearly the first choice for failed Tory politicians who are jumping from a sinking ship in order to keep their seats.”
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