THE Scottish Tories have suffered another humiliating loss with the defection of MSP Graham Simpson to Reform UK.
Nigel Farage travelled to Scotland on Wednesday to announce the news, which sees his party gain their first Holyrood seat since Michelle Ballantyne's defection in 2021.
Simpson is an MSP for the Central Scotland region who has represented the Tories in the Holyrood parliament since 2016.
He told press he had joined the Conservatives at age 15, but decided to jump to Reform UK in recent weeks.
Speaking following his defection, Simpson said: "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.
"So, today I'm giving them what they want, but perhaps not for the reasons that they think."
The Reform MSP claimed that the "constitutional battle" over independence had prevented both good government and good opposition in Holyrood, saying: "We have neither. But with a new kid on the block, Reform ... we can at least have one of those."
Pointing to Murdo Fraser's 2011 plan for a new centre-right part, separate to the UK Conservative Party, Simpson claimed that Farage's Reform offered that.
Simpson said he did not join Reform in order to become its Scottish leader, telling press: “Clearly, Reform will need a figurehead … but I’m not coming in here today as somebody who has been parachuted in to be a leader."
It comes just five days after Russell Findlay's Scottish Tory group lost Jeremy Balfour, who quit citing "reactionary politics" and dwindling policy ideas.
Earlier in 2025, MSP Jamie Greene defected from the Conservatives to the LibDems, saying his "former party misguidedly revels in the worst aspects of our politics".
On Tuesday, The National reported that the Conservatives were bracing for further defections and resignations, which they were expecting to ramp up the closer the 2026 Holyrood election gets.
A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “We remain focused on holding the SNP and Labour to account.
“The Scottish Conservatives are determined to provide positive common-sense solutions to drive our economy forward, so we can reduce NHS waiting lists and invest more in education.
“Nigel Farage has said he’s content with another five years of SNP government. We’re going to keep focusing on how to get the Nationalists out of power.”
