Conservative MSP Graham Simpson defects to Reform at an event attended by Nigel Farage https://t.co/qOIaJSaPug
BREAKING: Tory defects to Reform UK in further trouble for Kemi Badenoch https://t.co/FtZIvYCU4Q
Simpson is the first Scottish Tory in Holyrood to defect to Farage's party. https://t.co/DeyZjuATzO
Scottish Conservative parliamentarian Graham Simpson resigned from the party on 27 August and joined Reform UK, appearing alongside Reform leader Nigel Farage at a press conference in Broxburn, West Lothian. Simpson, who has represented the Central Scotland region since 2016, is the first sitting Scottish Tory to defect to Farage’s party and now serves as Reform’s sole member in the 129-seat Scottish Parliament. Simpson said leaving the party he joined at age 15 was “an enormous wrench” but argued Reform offers a chance to “create something new, exciting and lasting” that can challenge the Scottish National Party’s 19-year hold on government. He confirmed he will keep his seat on the regional list rather than trigger a by-election. The move deepens the Scottish Conservatives’ difficulties; a second MSP left the Tory group earlier in the week, and recent polling cited by The Economist places Reform at 25 percent support in Scotland—second only to the SNP. Farage has intensified campaigning north of the border, unveiling immigration proposals and positioning Reform as the principal unionist opposition ahead of next May’s Holyrood election.
