A jubilant Nigel Farage has welcomed another defector from the Conservative Party to Reform. Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Graham Simpson has left the Tories and joined the insurgent party. Speaking alongside Mr Farage at a press event in Livingstone, Scotland, Mr Simpson said his decision to switch to Reform “has not been easy”.
But he said: “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.” He predicted Reform would make gains in next year’s Scottish elections. “The election next year here in Scotland is going to see a very different parliament from the one we have now,” he said.
Mr Simpson is just the latest in a number of defections from the Conservative Party. Others have included former Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry, former Tory MP Lee Anderson, another former MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns, councillor Laila Cunningham, Welsh Conservative Laura Anne Jones and others.
This is a breaking story. We will report more details here as it develops.
