As of late August, Nigel Farage’s Reform party now has representatives in local government, Westminster, the Welsh Senedd and the Scottish Parliament. The group’s only MSP is Graham Simpson, a frontline Conservative politician for almost ten years, who defected just under a fortnight ago. I caught up with him at the Reform conference – amid deafening tannoy announcements, last-minute timetable shifts and an ongoing government reshuffle – to hear more about the party’s plans for next year’s 2026 Holyrood election.
What exactly attracted Graham Simpson to Reform? ‘I saw the party as something of a blank canvas,’ he explained.
The period following his defection was ‘a bit rough’, Simpson told me, visibly uncomfortable on thinking back to the event. ‘There were some pretty nasty things said about me,’ he recalled. ‘It’s upsetting for my family to read that kind of stuff. I don’t think we should make things personal.’ That week was a bit of a whirlwind, with the MSP whisked away to a dinner in Glasgow with Richard Tice and other Scottish Reform defectors the following day. The networking continued at conference, with the group’s myriad defectors still trying to figure out who their colleagues are. In recent months, 16 councillors have defected to the group, mostly from the Tory party but some independents and even former Labour people. ‘They’re very friendly,’ Simpson said.
What exactly attracted Simpson to Reform? ‘I saw the party as something of a blank canvas,’ he explained, referencing the quite unique scenario of the party’s polling surging in Scotland despite it not having nailed down many, if any, devolved policy positions yet. He praised the party’s ability to draw in a ‘mix’ of people, admitting: ‘Some of my views are to the left, some are to the right.’ What left-wing views does he hold? ‘Housing and planning,’ he said, pointing to the mediation amendment he introduced in 2019 to a planning bill going through Holyrood. The former Tory transport spokesman also likes the idea of franchising bus operators ‘or running a model which is more in public control’. What are his right-wing views? ‘I try not to badge things as right and left,’ he said, despite having done exactly that a few minutes before.
Reform’s newest MSP hopes the party will lead into next year’s Scottish Parliament elections with a positive message. He pointed to his frustrations with the approach of the Tories, who he believes are conducting a negative, SNP-focused campaign. ‘I think they’re going to have a very bad election result next year,’ he said. ‘We don’t actually know where Russell Findlay is even going to stand.’ It adds to speculation that the Scottish Tory leader is struggling to figure out which area would give him the best shot of retaining his seat next year in a nod to how unstable the Conservatives party’s hold in Scotland is.
But eight months out from the election, Reform still lacks Scottish policies. During his conference speech, Simpson focused on public services and healthcare – calling for a functioning NHS app, ‘hospital at home’ community services and a pivot to preventative healthcare. These ideas may be commendable but they are nothing new. There remain questions about how exactly Reform would fund its plans for Scotland too – and the increasing scrutiny on the party has led to the group recruiting for paid communications roles and policy leads.
Uncertainty over policy detail isn’t particularly affecting Reform’s position in the polls, however. I wrote at the start of the year about the party’s surge in Scotland, and since then a number of surveys have suggested Nigel Farage’s Caledonian outfit could overtake the Tories and even Labour in next year’s election. The party is still hopeful more politicians will enter its fold, with a possible SNP defector in the works. Simpson is firm that Reform remains a ‘pro-UK party’ and while he is not completely opposed to Nats voting for the group, he wanted to be ‘very clear’: ‘In terms of candidates, we won’t have anyone who supports independence.’ Party sources say its constituency candidate list is expected to be finalised and published by the end of the year, while the regional list will come together in early 2026.
Simpson refused to endorse Zia Yusuf’s immigration rhetoric, after he spoke of an ‘invasion’ of ‘fighting age men’ coming over in small boats.
When asked whether he has been in talks with any of his former Tory colleagues about jumping ship, Simpson’s answer is a definitive ‘no’ – but is clear that he wants to see others make the political leap. As the only sitting MSP in the group, he is keen to get a senior role ahead of next year’s poll: ‘I’m the only parliamentarian. I’ve got a reputation for being able to work across parliament.’ Nigel Farage has been clear that he remains the ultimate leader of Reform, but there is likely to be a Scottish campaign lead announced in the run-up to the election with a Holyrood group leader appointed afterwards. As of yet, however, Simpson has not been handed the title.
Perhaps it is a snub from Farage, but in any case, the Central Scotland MSP hasn’t veered away from snubbing the Reform leadership either. He refused to endorse Zia Yusuf’s immigration rhetoric, after the party’s new head of policy chose in recent weeks to speak of an ‘invasion’ of ‘fighting age men’ coming over in small boats. ‘I’ll use my own language,’ the MSP told me. ‘There is managed immigration and there is illegal immigration. You or I couldn’t just turn up in any country of our choice and expect to be able to stay. That’s entirely wrong. The numbers are frightening.’ Is he in favour of deporting people who have come to the country illegally? ‘You should have deportation.’ On Scotland’s own demographic issues, however, Simpson conceded: ‘You can allow a certain number of people to come in from abroad.’
The MSP’s move has proven controversial among his friends, while former colleagues have made some pretty scathing remarks to newspapers after his departure. But while he is trying to navigate his new place in parliament – with a handful of friends ‘clearly uncomfortable with it’ – Simpson noted brightly that it was something of an ‘eye-opener’ that a number of stakeholders had got in touch after his move. ‘My diary is getting very busy – but that’s fabulous. I want to be busy.’ As the only Reform representative in Holyrood, Simpson has his work cut out ahead of next year’s poll as his new party tries to professionalise, reach out to business and build an internal apparatus north of the border. With less than 35 weeks to go until polling day – as one diligent party organiser reminded me at conference – the countdown is on.
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