Graham Simpson MSP defects from Conservatives to Reform

Graham Simpson MSP has defected from the Scottish Conservatives to Reform UK in a blow to Russell Findlay.

The backbencher has been an MSP for Central Scotland since 2016.

His move gives Reform a seat in the Scottish Parliament ahead of its 2026 election push.

Simpson is the second MSP to leave the Tories in the past two weeks, with Jeremy Balfour leaving to become an independent.

At a press conference at a West Lothian hotel, Simpson told assembled media they may not be "surprised" to see him join Nigel Farage on stage, because "the Scottish Tories have been touting my name as a potential defector for months now".

He went on: "Today I am 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."

Simpson said he had written to Findlay to give his resignation from the Conservatives, but described the letter as "not worth sharing".

He said: "Besides saying that I'm off, the only other thing that it says is to wish him all the best for the future, and I mean that on a personal level."

However, he said his former party's electoral hopes "are diminishing fast" and said Reform offered a centre-right party which could solve Scotland's lack of "good government" and "good opposition".

Simpson, a former journalist, is the third sitting MSP to leave Findlay's party since he won its leadership election last September. The first to leave, Jamie Greene, has joined the Scottish Liberal Democrats. 

The MSP said he had kept his criticisms of the Conservatives away from the public eye in recent months and had thought his next step would be to leave politics for a job in a sector such as housing. 

However, he said joining Reform UK presented the opportunity "to create something fresh" in Scotland. Describing the current Scottish Parliament as "stale and very often uninspiring", he said that, save for "some very fine individuals, the political class is not serving the people well".

And, in a pitch to fellow MSPs, Simpson went on: "I've no doubt that initially my announcement today will spark anger, disappointment, and probably some sheer nastiness. I don't like that aspect of politics and I'm not looking forward to it but there are many ex-colleagues who will also understand and I say to those who have great ideas for Scotland, and who may have felt ignored, to talk to me. You will find my door wherever I am put in parliament next week, open and receptive to the kind of fresh thinking we need in politics."

Responding to the announcement, a Scottish Conservative source said: "Graham Simpson is a pathetic, nasty little man who won't be missed. Just last year, he had to apologise to a young female member of staff for acting in a totally inappropriate, bullying and intimidating way towards her. The way he spoke to her was so bad that he was forced to sit down and say sorry in person. He'll be more trouble than he's worth for Reform."

When this quote was put to Simpson by a journalist at the press conference, he denied the allegation, saying it was "absolutely untrue" and "that's the kind of nastiness I was alluding to earlier". 

Farage welcomed his new MSP, adding he hoped Simpson would be able to "show us the ropes" after the election next year, in which Reform hopes to see a glut of MSPs elected.

Simpson will take on a key role in shaping the party's policy offering.

But the pair denied he would automatically be drafted in to lead the party ahead of May, with a decision still to be made on who will be put forward for leadership debates and other events.

Asked about the number of former Tories defecting to Reform, Farage said: "I'll absolutely not allow this to become the Tory party 2.0, and I'm not going to be the vehicle for those just to rescue their careers in parliament."

But referring to the number of Reform councillors who have quit the party or quit elected office since the English local elections in May, he added this showed "you need experience" as the better performing councils were ones where Reform councillors existed prior to this year.

The press conference comes the day after Reform set out its immigration policy.

Farage said that while illegal immigration had not been a huge issue for the public in the same was as south of the border, he said this was because other political parties had been too worried to speak about it.

He said he expected there "will be more of a debate in Scotland as time goes on", adding that Glasgow has become the "asylum capital of the United Kingdom".

Data from the Home Office published last week showed 3,844 asylum seekers were being housed by Glasgow City Council - higher than any other local authority in the UK.