THE leader of Aberdeenshire Council has quit the Tories after 45 years in a dramatic speech claiming she was “betrayed by friends” in a plan to remove her.
Gillian Owen, who represents the Ellon and District ward, announced her intention to quit the party as she stepped down as leader in a meeting this morning.
She said she was "actually quite sad" over the alleged plot and hinted at joining Reform UK, telling the meeting: “If you can’t beat them, join them.”
Owen said: “The last few months have been extremely hard.
“Not just for me as an elected representative, but for my family as well.
“Some may say I deserve the treatment I have received from my party and the press. Others may say I brought it on myself.
“Yes … I do feel betrayed by some colleagues I considered to be friends.
“They have achieved their wish. I have been removed as leader of the Scottish Conservative group and as leader of the council.”
It comes after WhatsApp messages were leaked which showed Owen calling her colleagues "f***ing b******s" amid internal splits over the role of councillor John Cox in the administration of the council after he joined Reform UK as a member, but continued to serve as an independent.
He was voted out of the local authority's coalition earlier this month, after refusing to give up his membership.
Five councillors have defected to Reform from the Scottish Conservative Aberdeenshire group; Dominic Lonchay, Lauren Knight, John Crawley, Mark Findlater, and Laurie Carnie.
The Reform group backed the SNP to take control of the authority amid the Unionist splits, however, Tory Stewart Adams and LibDem Anne Stirling will now lead the council as co-leaders.
Owen continued: “This is all with the backdrop of the Conservative group losing members hand over fist to Reform.
“I wonder why that is?”
She added: “The party seems to have lost its way. Moving on, I will become an independent councillor aligned to the administration. I will no longer have masters to serve.”
