Tory defects to Reform UK in further trouble for Kemi Badenoch

A Scottish Conservative MSP has defected to Reform UK, Nigel Farage has announced at a press conference in Scotland.

In more trouble for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, Graham Simpson has become Reform's first MSP with his defection, and he joined Mr Farage on stage in West Lothian.

The former Tory frontbencher was first elected to Holyrood in 2016. He said it had been a "wrench" to leave the party he joined at the age of 15.

Speaking during the Reform event in Broxburn, Mr Simpson said: "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.

"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."

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Mr Simpson last year backed Murdo Fraser in the Scottish Conservative leadership election to succeed Douglas Ross. West Scotland MSP Russell Findlay instead won the contest.

Mr Simpson admitted he has been "uneasy" with his decision to defect from the Scottish Conservatives, given he was elected on the regional list at Holyrood.

At Holyrood, voters elect MSPs to both constituencies and regional lists, with votes in the regions being cast for a party rather than an individual.

Put to him that Central Scotland region voters backed the Tories rather than him personally, Mr Simpson said: "Absolutely, you're right. I was elected on the Conservative list, that's why I've been uneasy with this decision. I am uneasy with it, but the rules say that you can stay."

Earlier this year, former Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry became one of the latest to defect to Reform UK. He said the Conservatives had "lost their way". He was the latest in a string of Tory defectors, joining former Wales secretary David Jones, former minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns and others in jumping ship to Reform.

At the time, Ms Badenoch hit back at defectors like Sir Jake, accusing them of behaving "like they do in banana republics" and suggested they had "probably been holding us back for a long time" and were "welcome" to leave.

She said: "There are a lot of people who come into politics just to play the game of politics, and they will follow polls and defect wherever they can, like they do in banana republics, to wherever they think that they can win."

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