Overview

• Simpson announced his switch at a Broxburn press conference with Nigel Farage and confirmed he will remain a Central Scotland regional list MSP.
• Farage said Reform will name a Scottish leader before the next Holyrood vote and rejected any backroom deal to install Simpson in the role.
• Simpson invited former Scottish Conservative colleagues to discuss joining him and pledged to expand Reform’s platform beyond net zero and immigration.
• He said he plans to pursue a members’ bill to create a mechanism for sacking MSPs as part of developing a broader policy suite.
• Coverage differed on whether Simpson is Reform’s first or second MSP at Holyrood, reflecting Michelle Ballantyne’s earlier defection in a previous session, and Farage used the event to intensify immigration-focused attacks including claims about Glasgow.