A FORMER Scottish Tory MP has joined Reform UK.
Ross Thomson, who served in the House of Commons between 2016 and 2017, has switched to Nigel Farage’s party and appeared in a promotional video with new party chair David Bull.
The pair are seen speaking at an event in Perth that Bull was attending.
He said: “I’m pleased to confirm I have joined Reform UK. I did so because only Reform have the courage and answers to the issues facing Scotland and the United Kingdom and Reform are best placed to beat the SNP and sort a Holyrood system that’s in desperate need of Reform.
“Nigel Farage leads with conviction, courage, and above all, he listens. He is the only national leader who understands the serious challenges facing the north-east of Scotland — and what it will take to make our region thrive again.”
It comes just a year after Thomson backed current Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay during the leadership contest.
He had written on social media at the time: “After the hustings in Aberdeen, it’s clear that @RussellFindlay1 is the best candidate to lead the @ScotTories. He’ll champion our vital oil & gas sector and offer a real, common sense, conservative alternative to the socialist parties at Holyrood. He’s also a really nice guy!”
Thomson is notably a big supporter of Donald Trump and took up a position in corporate sales at Trump International in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire in April.
Thomson has been a vocal supporter of the right-wing US President and previously welcomed him to Scotland in 2023, thanking him for signing his “Make America Great Again” hat.
Since his departure from politics and Westminster in 2019, Thomson has worked in various public affairs roles.
He helped to run Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign in Scotland, previously dined with Trump at his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago.
He quit as an MP after being accused of groping another in the Strangers' Bar in the Commons in 2018. Thomson insisted the claims were "false and defamatory" and a "political smear".
