Abandon the Tories, defector Jamie Greene tells voters

Tory defector Jamie Greene has urged thousands of voters to abandon the party.

Lib Dem leaders are targeting "scunnered" former Conservative voters in a new drive.

West Scotland MSP Greene previously ran for the leadership of the Scottish Conservatives but has now joined the Liberal Democrats.

Today the party has said letters have been sent asking "politically homeless" Scots who previously backed the Conservatives to do the same.

The mailshot targets those who told canvassers they had voted Tory.

In the letter, Greene said: "The party in which I once found a home has been reduced to Reform-lite. Its agenda is Trumpesque in style and substance. It talks about what it stands against, but has little to say about what it stands for.

"Most importantly, the broad church it was once shifted further and further to the right, alienating many of its members, voters and in my case its elected representatives.  

"I couldn't go on. So I joined the Scottish Liberal Democrats."

He told recipients: "If you feel like I did, politically homeless and scunnered with the Scottish Conservatives, do something about it. Come and join me in the Scottish Liberal Democrats and you will be made to feel most welcome, I assure you."

Greene's move was made in two steps, with him first leaving the Conservatives to become an independent. Days later, his membership of the Lib Dems was announced at the party's conference in Inverness, where he joined Scottish and UK leaders Alex Cole-Hamilton and Ed Davey on stage.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said his loss was "unfortunate", but party members have "confidence" in his leadership of the party.