In a dramatic political stunt, Conservative MSP Graham Simpson has quit the Scottish Conservatives to join Reform UK, appearing alongside Nigel Farage at a press conference in Broxburn, West Lothian.
The Central Scotland MSP announced his defection at the event, stating it was “an enormous wrench” to leave behind the party he entered as a teenager. Despite speculation over his political allegiance for months, Simpson said reasons for the move may surprise some.
“It’s only fair to say that some of you will not be shocked to see me here, bearing in mind that the Scottish Tories have been trumpeting my name as a would-be defector for months now. So today I’m doing what they want, but maybe not for the reasons that they might suppose,” he said to journalists.
Simpson’s defection is a major day for Scottish politics. His move to Reform UK not only provides the party with its first foot in Holyrood but also raises deeper questions over voter alignment when next year’s elections come around.
With Simpson’s move, Reform UK once again has a presence in the Scottish Parliament. The previous one to do so was Michelle Ballantyne, who had a brief stint under the Reform Party before she lost her seat during the 2021 election.
Simpson, a former Daily Record and The Sun reporter, has served Central Scotland since 2016. Despite switching parties, he confirmed he would continue in his parliamentary position and would not stand down.
“Resigning from the party I originally joined when I was 15 is a massive wrench, and I’ve gone through a lot of soul searching over the last few weeks.”
During the presser, Simpson had clearly stated his aspirations of Reform contributing to the removal of the SNP from power after almost two decades.
“I’ve joined Reform because we have the chance to create something new, exciting and lasting that puts the needs of people over the system, that asks what is going wrong and how we can fix it.”
Farage reiterated those plans, affirming Reform will have a Scottish leader in place before the forthcoming Holyrood election, rebuffing previous claims from deputy leader Richard Tice that leadership would follow the election.
The Scottish Conservatives responded firmly, saying the party was still committed to holding both the SNP and Labour to account: “The Scottish Conservatives are committed to bringing positive common-sense solutions to help move our economy forward, so we can cut NHS waiting lists and spend more on education.”.
Nigel Farage has said he’s content with another five years of SNP government. We’re going to keep focusing on how to get the nationalists out of power.”
Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie didn’t mince words in her criticism of Simpson’s action: “Another life-long Tory has now jumped ship to try and salvage their own career, but it will take more than a change of rosette to keep Scots from remembering the harm Tories like Graham Simpson have caused our nation over the years.”
She branded Reform as “simply Tories by another name” and claimed that neither party presented feasible solutions to Scotland’s issues.
Farage’s trip to Scotland was also accompanied by his revealing Operation Restoring Justice—an immigration policy that promises to remove 600,000 migrants within five years if Reform were to win the next general election.
Some of the key steps laid out are:
- Stopping asylum claims from those entering on small boats
- Pledging £2bn in incentives or aid to nations like Afghanistan to take back returnees
- Possible penalties against countries that are not willing to cooperate
The timing is no accident. A latest survey by the David Hume Institute and Diffley Partnership indicates that immigration has climbed in concern among the public, now the third most significant issue for Scots, following health and the cost-of-living crisis.
SNP MSP Stephen Gethins expressed vehement disagreement with Reform’s policy and rhetoric on immigration on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland.
He called the plans “extraordinarily damaging” and raised concerns over proposals to collaborate with regimes like the Taliban. Gethins also threatened, as a result of the Reform planning to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.
“He is the mastermind, together with individuals such as Boris Johnson and others, of the small boats crisis,” said Gethins of Farage.
As Scottish politics moves into a new era, Simpson’s defection will surely ruffle the Holyrood dynamics. With Farage looking to make a more solid presence north of the border, and opponents ready to throw criticism at Reform’s policies, next year’s election could be a turning point.
