A FOURTH Scottish Tory councillor in Aberdeenshire has defected to Reform UK.
Dominic Lonchay, who represents the East Garioch ward on the local authority, has joined Nigel Farage’s party in another blow to Russell Findlay’s struggling Scottish Conservatives.
It understood he did so after being rejected as a Tory candidate for next year’s parliamentary election.
Lonchay’s defection means Reform UK now have four councillors on Aberdeenshire Council. John Crawley, Mark Findlater, and Laurie Carnie had already joined Farage's outfit.
The Scottish Tory group, which runs the council with support from independents and LibDems, suffered a blow earlier this month after its leader Gillian Owen quit following a row which saw her brand her own colleagues “f***ing bastards”.
Lonchay said: "After eight years as councillor for Aberdeenshire Council Ward 12 with the Conservative Party, I have decided that it is time for me to leave the Conservative Party and Aberdeenshire Council administration to join Reform Scotland.
“The reasons for this decision are many, and I have particularly recently been unable to influence the running of the council for the benefit of my constituents.
“I have therefore decided to join Reform Scotland, and I look forward to working with colleagues in the unaligned group of councillors for the benefit of my constituents."
Thomas Kerr, a Reform UK councillor in Glasgow, said: "We're delighted to welcome Councillor Dominic Lonchay to our ever growing team here in Scotland.
"Aberdeenshire and Scotland's north east have been totally abandoned by all mainstream legacy parties, Dominic along with our current councillors in Aberdeenshire will be crucial in this region’s fightback.
"From Clydebank to Fraserburgh, Reform UK has shown we are the only party in Scottish politics with momentum.
"If voters want to rid Scotland of this rotten SNP Government, then only Reform UK offers that opportunity."
The news is a fresh blow for Findlay, whose Scottish Tory group at Holyrood has also seen a defection, of MSP Jamie Greene to the LibDems.
