A jubilant Nigel Farage has welcomed another defector from the Conservative Party to Reform. Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Graham Simpson has left the Tories and joined the insurgent party. Speaking alongside Mr Farage at a press event in Livingstone, Scotland, Mr Simpson said his decision to switch to Reform “has not been easy”.
But he said: “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.” He predicted Reform would make gains in next year’s Scottish elections. “The election next year here in Scotland is going to see a very different parliament from the one we have now,” he said.
Mr Simpson is just the latest in a number of defections from the Conservative Party. Others have included former Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry, former Tory MP Lee Anderson, another former MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns, councillor Laila Cunningham, Welsh Conservative Laura Anne Jones and others.
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In an open call to his former Tory colleagues, new Reform UK MSP Graham Simpson said his door will be open to those with “great ideas for Scotland”.
“I’ve no doubt that, initially, my announcement today will spark anger, disappointment and probably some sheer nastiness,” he said.
“I don’t like that aspect of politics and I’m not looking forward to it, but there are many ex-colleagues who will also understand.
“I say to those who have great ideas for Scotland and who may have felt ignored: talk to me, you will find my door – wherever I am put in Parliament next week – open and receptive to the kind of fresh thinking that we need in politics.”
Addressing the decision to leave the party he joined at the age of 15, Mr Simpson said it was a “wrench”.
Speaking at a press conference in Broxburn, West Lothian, the new Reform MSP 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 now.
“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.”
Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage speaks during a press conference at the Houston Suite, Macdonald (Image: PA)
There will be a Scottish leader of Reform UK ahead of the Holyrood election next year, Nigel Farage has said.
Mr Farage contradicted previous statements from his deputy leader Richard Tice who said during visits to Scotland earlier this year a leader would be chosen after the election to prevent internal rifts.
“We will, of course, have a leader of our group, who will go in as a leader of our group and be a potential first minister,” Mr Farage said.
He added: “We are a work in progress, we’re growing. We’re probably an advanced teenager now, we haven’t got to full maturity as a political party and, as I said about a moment ago, we have 200 candidates over the weekend being interviewed.”
Huge Boost for Nigel Farage as Another Conservative Defects to Reform
The movement of Conservative politicians towards Reform UK has become one of the most closely watched developments in British politics, with Nigel Farage continuing to attract figures from the party that traditionally occupied the right side of the political spectrum. One of the most prominent examples has been the series of defections involving Conservative politicians, including Robert Jenrick, Andrew Rosindell and Suella Braverman. (Financial Times)
These defections have added another dimension to the changing political landscape. Rather than Reform UK competing only for votes at elections, the party has also become a destination for politicians who previously represented the Conservatives. Their decisions have generated arguments about the future direction of the Conservative Party, the political strategy of Reform and the increasingly complicated relationship between the two parties.
The issue is particularly significant because Reform UK was originally built around challenging the established political parties. Farage has spent years arguing that voters who feel dissatisfied with Westminster need a different political vehicle. The arrival of former Conservative politicians gives Reform an opportunity to demonstrate that its appeal extends beyond individual voters and into the political establishment itself.
At the same time, the defections create difficult questions for the Conservatives.
The Conservative Party remains an important part of Britain’s political system, but it has faced a prolonged period of internal debate about its identity, policies and relationship with Reform UK. The arrival of Kemi Badenoch as leader created another chapter in that debate, with the party attempting to rebuild after its 2024 general-election defeat.
Every defection therefore receives considerable attention because it raises questions about whether Conservative MPs and voters remain united behind the party.
One of the most significant recent examples was Suella Braverman’s decision to leave the Conservatives for Reform UK. The former Home Secretary said she no longer trusted the Conservative Party and argued that it had moved away from values she believed in. Reform welcomed her arrival, while Labour and the Liberal Democrats criticised the move and pointed to her record in government. (The Guardian)
Braverman was not an isolated case.
Former Conservative minister Nadhim Zahawi also joined Reform in January 2026. His move was notable because Zahawi had previously held senior government positions and had once been critical of Farage. The decision therefore demonstrated how political relationships can change as parties themselves evolve. (Financial Times)
Another important defection involved Andrew Rosindell, the former Conservative MP for Romford and former shadow foreign affairs minister. Rosindell joined Reform and cited disagreements with Conservative policy, particularly concerning British sovereignty and foreign affairs. His move added another former Conservative parliamentarian to Farage’s party. (Financial Times)
These developments have contributed to a broader debate over whether the traditional division between Conservative and Reform voters is becoming less clear.
For Farage, the attraction of former Conservatives is straightforward from a political-organisational perspective. Experienced politicians bring knowledge of Parliament, government and election campaigning. They also have existing relationships with voters and local political organisations.
However, defections can also create complications.
Reform has spent much of its political existence presenting itself as an alternative to the established parties. Critics can therefore argue that bringing in former Conservative politicians risks making the party appear less like a new political movement and more like a continuation of existing Conservative politics.
Reform supporters have a different response. They can argue that politicians joining the party are evidence that established politicians are recognising a change in public attitudes.
This disagreement is central to the political significance of defections.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, face the challenge of retaining politicians and voters who are attracted to Reform’s positions on immigration, taxation, regulation, Brexit and national sovereignty.
Immigration has been particularly important.
Reform has made reducing immigration and strengthening border controls central parts of its political platform. Farage has repeatedly attacked successive governments over the number of people entering Britain and the small-boat crossings across the English Channel.
Conservative governments also attempted to address these issues, particularly through the Rwanda policy and proposals to reform asylum arrangements. However, disagreements within the Conservative Party over how far to go and how such policies should be implemented contributed to continuing tensions.
Reform has sought to argue that the Conservatives did not go far enough.
That message can be politically powerful among voters who believe previous governments made promises without delivering sufficient change. It also creates a strategic problem for Conservative leaders: moving towards Reform’s position could potentially reduce the policy distance between the two parties, while moving away from it could risk losing voters attracted to Reform.
The situation is further complicated by Brexit.
Farage has long presented Brexit as one of his defining political achievements and has criticised Conservative governments for what he considers an incomplete implementation of Britain’s departure from the European Union.
Some former Conservatives who have moved towards Reform have similarly argued that the party failed to deliver on promises made during the Brexit campaign.
The Conservative leadership therefore faces pressure from different directions. Some members want a stronger emphasis on traditional Conservative economic principles. Others want a tougher approach to immigration and national identity. Others are concerned primarily with rebuilding the party as a broad centre-right electoral organisation.
Reform’s growth has made these disagreements more visible.
Another factor is the relationship between Reform’s parliamentary presence and its performance outside Westminster.
The party has increasingly invested in local elections and local political organisations. Its expansion beyond the House of Commons means that defections are no longer limited to MPs. Conservative councillors have also moved to Reform in different parts of the country.
For example, Westminster saw Conservative councillor Alan Mendoza join Reform in 2025, becoming the second Conservative representative on the council to make the move at that time. (The Standard)
Other examples have occurred elsewhere. In Aberdeenshire, John Crawley became the third Conservative councillor in the area to move to Reform in 2025. (Press and Journal)
These local defections matter because political parties depend heavily on local organisations. Councillors, activists and constituency associations provide much of the infrastructure required for election campaigns.
Reform’s challenge is to convert growing political attention into a durable national organisation. Conservative politicians moving to the party can contribute to that process, but they also bring their own political histories and relationships.
This is why every new defection tends to generate arguments far beyond the individual involved.
For Nigel Farage, the wider objective is to establish Reform as a permanent force in British politics. His political career has frequently involved challenging the Conservative Party from outside it, particularly on Europe and immigration.
The arrival of Conservative politicians creates a new situation because Reform is no longer simply campaigning against the Conservatives from the outside. It is increasingly competing directly for their political personnel, activists and supporters.
That competition could influence the Conservative Party’s future strategy.
The Conservatives must decide how to distinguish themselves from Reform while still addressing issues that have helped Reform gain support. Meanwhile, Reform has to decide how far it wants to incorporate former Conservatives without losing the outsider identity that helped build its support.
The issue is particularly relevant for the next general election cycle.
Britain’s electoral system means that national vote share does not automatically translate into parliamentary representation. Support concentrated across particular constituencies can produce very different results from an evenly distributed national vote.
Consequently, the significance of defections cannot be measured simply by counting politicians.
Their impact depends on constituency politics, local campaigning, candidate selection, voter behaviour and the wider national political environment.
The Conservative Party also retains a substantial political history and organisational network. Reform’s challenge is to transform its growing presence into a sustainable structure capable of competing across the country.
That makes the arrival of former Conservative politicians potentially useful, but it does not by itself determine future electoral outcomes.
For voters, the defections provide another indication of how Britain’s party system is changing.
Political loyalties that once appeared relatively stable have become more fluid. Politicians can move between parties, voters can change their traditional allegiances, and political issues that once dominated one party’s agenda can be adopted by another.
This fluidity is especially visible on the right of British politics.
The Conservatives and Reform UK are competing for political space on immigration, national sovereignty, taxation, regulation and the size of government. Yet they remain separate organisations with different histories, leadership structures and policy platforms.
The continuing movement of Conservative figures towards Reform therefore represents an important development in that competition.
For Labour, the situation creates another dimension to the political environment. The party can benefit from divisions among opponents in certain circumstances, but it also faces the challenge of responding to Reform’s growing influence over political debate.
Labour has attempted to focus on government priorities including public services, economic growth, housing and immigration enforcement. Reform has sought to keep political attention focused on issues including borders, taxation and what it describes as failures by the political establishment.
As more Conservative politicians move towards Reform, the boundaries between these competing political narratives become increasingly important.
Ultimately, the latest defection should be understood as part of a much larger process rather than as an isolated event.
Nigel Farage has spent decades attempting to reshape British politics. Reform UK’s emergence as a serious national party has given that project a new platform. The movement of Conservative politicians into Reform demonstrates how the political realignment on the British right is continuing.
At the same time, the Conservative Party’s response will be crucial to understanding how that realignment develops.
The Conservatives can seek to rebuild their organisation, redefine their policy agenda and retain their traditional electoral coalition. Reform can continue attempting to attract voters and politicians from across the political spectrum. Labour and other parties will also compete for voters affected by these changes.
The result is a British political landscape that is considerably more fluid than it was only a few years ago.
Every high-profile defection adds another piece to that changing picture. For Farage, the arrival of another Conservative politician provides another opportunity to demonstrate Reform’s growing reach. For the Conservatives, it highlights the challenge of maintaining party unity while competing against a rival occupying much of the same political territory.
What happens next will depend on the decisions of politicians, parties and voters.
The latest move has certainly ensured that the relationship between Reform UK and the Conservatives will remain one of the central stories in British politics, with every future defection likely to be examined for what it reveals about the direction of the country’s increasingly competitive party system.