In a move that’s sent ripples through Scottish politics, Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Graham Simpson has defected to Reform UK, becoming the party’s first ever MSP at Holyrood. Simpson, who has represented the Central Scotland region since 2016, made the announcement on August 27, 2025, during a press conference in Broxburn, West Lothian, flanked by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
"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 now," Simpson told assembled journalists, as reported by BBC. "So today, I'm giving them what they want, but perhaps not for the reasons that they think. Leaving the party that I first joined when I was 15 is an enormous wrench, and I've been through a lot of soul searching in the past few weeks."
Simpson’s defection marks the second time in just a week that the Scottish Conservatives have lost a member of their Holyrood group, with Jeremy Balfour announcing his departure to sit as an independent only days earlier. Jamie Greene, another MSP, had previously left the Tories for the Liberal Democrats, all under the leadership of Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay, who has now seen three MSPs exit in his first year.
Simpson, 61, is no stranger to the world of media, having worked as a journalist for The Sun and Daily Record before entering politics. Despite being elected on the Conservative regional list, he insists he will not resign his seat, stating, "I am uneasy with it, but the rules say that you can stay." He added, "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. Save for some fine individual MSPs across parties, the political class is not serving the people well. Failure is accepted and change takes far too long."
Simpson’s rationale for switching parties is rooted in what he describes as a need for "fresh thinking" in Scottish politics. "I've joined Reform because we have the chance to create something new, exciting and lasting that puts the needs of people over the system, that asks what is going wrong and how we can fix it," he said, echoing a sentiment that resonates with many dissatisfied voters.
Farage, ever the showman, used the occasion to announce that Reform UK would have a Scottish leader in place ahead of the 2026 Holyrood elections. This statement contradicted earlier remarks from his deputy, Richard Tice, who had suggested a leader would be chosen only after the elections to avoid internal rifts. Farage denied any "backroom deal" to make Simpson the Scottish leader, but the optics of the event were unmistakable—a new political force is positioning itself to challenge the status quo north of the border.
The timing of Simpson’s move is significant. Reform UK has seen a surge in popularity in Scotland since last year’s general election, and recent polling suggests the party could make further gains. According to an August 2025 Ipsos poll reported by the Daily Mail, the Scottish National Party (SNP) leads with 34% of the constituency vote, Labour sits at 23%, and Reform is now at 14%. On the regional list, the SNP leads with 26%, Labour at 22%, and Reform at 16%—a remarkable showing for a party so recently established in the Scottish political landscape.
Simpson’s defection is also a boost for Reform UK’s campaign to unseat the SNP, who have held power in Edinburgh for 19 years. "I see the opportunity to help create something fresh here in Scotland, and it's clear that the voters agree in increasing numbers," Simpson declared. "But just because a party is becoming popular isn't a reason to join it, keeping your job in Parliament isn't a good enough reason either." For Simpson, the move is about building something "new, exciting and lasting"—a refrain he repeated throughout the press conference.
The defection comes at a time of heightened political tension over immigration. On August 26, 2025, Farage launched "Operation Restoring Justice," a new initiative aimed squarely at the migrant issue. Reform UK’s platform calls for the deportation of 600,000 migrants over five years if it wins the next election. The party also pledges to bar anyone arriving in the UK on small boats from claiming asylum, and proposes a £2 billion fund to offer aid to countries like Afghanistan to take back migrants, with sanctions threatened for non-cooperation. According to a poll by the David Hume Institute and Diffley Partnership, 21% of Scots now see immigration as a top-three issue—up from 16% in May and just 4% in May 2023—making it the third most pressing concern after health and the cost-of-living crisis.
Not everyone is impressed by Simpson’s move or Reform’s policies. Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie was quick to criticize, telling BBC, "Yet another lifelong Tory has decided to flee their sinking ship in a bid to save their own career, but it will take more than a new rosette to make Scots forget the damage Tories like Graham Simpson have inflicted on our country over the years." Baillie dismissed Reform as "simply Tories by another name," and argued that neither party had solutions for Scotland’s challenges. She positioned the next Scottish Parliament election as a stark choice: "a third decade of SNP failure or a new direction with Scottish Labour."
The SNP, too, weighed in on the controversy. Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan described Farage as "the ultimate symbol of Westminster failure" and accused him of promoting "ugly, anti-immigrant rhetoric" and "whipping up hatred against vulnerable people." She asserted, "Labour has failed, and Nigel Farage has nothing to offer. Scotland needs a fresh start – and the only one that will work for Scotland is independence." Meanwhile, SNP foreign affairs spokesman Stephen Gethins criticized Reform’s immigration plans, questioning the feasibility of working with regimes like the Taliban to return migrants and arguing that Brexit—the cause championed by Farage—had worsened the small boats crisis.
For their part, the Scottish Conservatives struck a note of resilience. A party spokesperson said the Conservatives remain "determined to provide positive common-sense solutions to drive our economy forward, so we can reduce NHS waiting lists and invest more in education." They took a swipe at Farage, saying, "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."
Simpson’s decision to stay on as an MSP despite switching parties has drawn criticism from some quarters, especially given his past campaigning for recall rights—the ability for constituents to remove their MSP under certain circumstances. Ironically, some now argue that party-switching itself should trigger a recall, but Simpson insists it’s right that he remains on the Holyrood benches.
As the dust settles, one thing is clear: Scottish politics is in a state of flux. With the Holyrood elections looming in 2026, all eyes will be on whether Simpson’s gamble pays off—and whether Reform UK can translate rising poll numbers into real power in the Scottish Parliament.
