Reform UK got its first MSP at Holyrood today after Graham Simpson announced his defection from the Scottish Tories to Nigel Farage’s party.
Mr Simpson, who has been MSP for Central Scotland since 2016, revealed his switch to Reform at a press conference in Broxburn, West Lothian alongside Mr Farage.
Speaking of his decision to leave the Conservative Party, which he joined at the age of 15, Mr Simpson admitted it was a ‘wrench’.
‘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 said.
‘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.’
Mr Simpson 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 move to Reform.
‘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,’ he told the press conference.
‘But just because a party is becoming popular isn’t a reason to join it, keeping your job in Parliament isn’t a good enough reason either.’
He added: ‘Too many people feel let down and ignored, they feel the system is against them, that the traditional parties don’t even care about them.
‘Save for some fine individual MSPs across parties, the political class is not serving the people well.
‘Failure is accepted and change takes far too long.’
Mr Simpson said he decided to join Reform UK to ‘create something new, exciting and lasting’.
‘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,’ he told reporters.
He added he thought Reform could ‘help’ to remove the SNP from office after 19 years in power.
More to follow…
