Former Scots Tory MP Ross Thomson joins Reform UK
Ross Thomson is the latest former Tory to join Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
A former Scots Tory MP who has switched to Nigel Farage's anti-immigration party Reform UK has revealed his reasons for joining.
Ross Thomson had been a Tory MSP and MP but did not seek re-election in the Aberdeen South seat in 2019.
He is now joined Reform UK after being spotted chatting to Reform chair David Bull in the party's latest Scottish promotional video less than a year after backing Russell Findlay for the Conservative leadership in Scotland.
Thomson has since explained why he has joined Reform UK. He said: 'I'm pleased to confirm I have joined Reform UK. I did so because only Reform have the courage and answers to the issues facing Scotland and the United Kingdom and Reform are best placed to beat the SNP and sort a Holyrood system that's in desperate need of Reform.
' Nigel Farage leads with conviction, courage, and above all, he listens. He is the only national leader who understands the serious challenges facing the north-east of Scotland — and what it will take to make our region thrive again.'
Speculation that Thomson would be the latest Tory to jump ship to Nigel Farage 's right wing party was fueled after appearing in a Reform UK's video of David Bull's trip to Perth.
A conversation between the two was captured after Bull said he was in Scotland because Reform is doing 'so well' north of the border.
This comes after Thomson vocally backed Russell Findlay in last year's Scottish Tory leadership contest.
He wrote on X: "After the hustings in Aberdeen, it's clear that @RussellFindlay1 is the best candidate to lead the @ScotTories. He'll champion our vital oil & gas sector and offer a real, common sense, conservative alternative to the socialist parties at Holyrood. He's also a really nice guy!'
Thomson ran into controversy in 2018 after reportedly posting himself sitting on the throne of Saddam Hussein.
He was accused of 'trivialising" the dictator's bloody reign after writing: "Another terrific day in Iraq. I was able to channel my inner dictator with a visit to Sadam's [sic] military parade ground The Swords of Qadisiyah (Victory Arch) and then sitting on Saddam 's throne at the British embassy."
Thomson is notably a big supporter of Donald Trump and previously dined with the President at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. In April, it was reported that he had secured a new job with one of Trump 's golf resorts.
Separately, Trump came into controversy over opening a second golf course in Aberdeen named after his Lewis-born mother, Mary - the 18-hole links MacLeod Course.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
27 minutes ago
- The National
Child poverty falling in Scotland but rising in rest of UK
Westminster has been urged to learn from Holyrood after a study by the Big Issue found that Scotland has seen a 12% drop in child poverty since introducing reduction targets into law in 2017 - equivalent to a reduction of 21,000 living in relative poverty. Yet in the same period, England and Wales have seen a 15% rise. READ MORE: Assa Samake-Roman: Build-to-rent won't solve housing crisis but will bleed people dry The magazine said its study highlighted why Westminster should implement similar poverty reduction targets as Scotland. Its analysis of UK child poverty statistics found that the assent of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 was a 'parting of the ways' for the different home nations' trajectories on child poverty. The report said a cyclical target-setting method would translate Labour's stated ambition of 'enduring poverty reduction' into concrete, measurable steps. Lord John Bird, Big Issue founder and crossbench peer, said: 'With child poverty in England and Wales predicted to rise to new pernicious highs, we cannot accept rhetoric in place of real change – we must demand sustained, legislative action. 'Parliamentarians possess the authority to drive this transformation. Let us not look back and regret another missed opportunity. The time has come to stop simply managing poverty and to begin ending it.' READ MORE: Children's care service threatened with closure after 'serious concerns' raised The Scottish Government has previously said it is on a "national mission" to end child poverty. On Monday, First Minister John Swinney announced more families would be able to benefit from free school meals for children after the summer holidays. The Scottish Government is investing £3 million in a trial phase which will extend the provision of free school meals to S1 to S3 pupils who receive the Scottish child payment. And earlier this month, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville announced the Scottish Government would be ditching the two-child benefit cap on March 2. The two-child limit denies child allowances in Universal Credit and tax credits to third or subsequent children born after April 2017 and has been kept in place by Keir Starmer's Labour UK Government.
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
A chance to reform public services: can we get it right this time?
The autumn political conference season in the year before an election is always one to watch. It's when near-final manifesto pledges — focus-grouped and thrashed out over the summer — are given a public airing to see how they fare against the prevailing mood. Crucially, it also gives parties time to finesse or abandon them altogether if the response is less than enthusiastic. By the time spring conference season rolls around, campaigning is in full swing and everything becomes about the pitch to voters. This autumn's season will arguably be one of the most significant in the post-devolution era. Current polling points to a much broader split in representation at Holyrood in 2026 than we've seen before, and there's a growing sense that every vote is up for grabs. The public mood increasingly demands action over loyalty — something we haven't seen for quite some time. Read more by Calum Steele As things stand, the SNP is still on course to be the largest party at Holyrood, albeit a much-diminished force compared to its 2011 peak. Labour — still a long way off the halcyon days when they boasted of weighing the vote rather than counting it — will be buoyed by their recent success in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and are starting to believe they're no longer just there to make up the numbers. Meanwhile, the emergence of Reform will almost certainly see the new kid on the block hosting its own conference, creating a dilemma for many organisations and businesses now furiously debating the optics of attending — and how such a move might be perceived. However it's sliced and diced, the very nature of devolved politics leaves little room for genuine originality. With the overwhelming majority of the Scottish budget directed straight into public services — and with increasing welfare responsibilities now falling to Holyrood — tinkering at the edges is all we're likely to see in reality. That's not to say we won't hear grandiose pronouncements about changing how 'we' do things. (No one wants to use the word 'reform' any more, lest it boost the algorithms that propel Farage's party further into public consciousness.) This probably explains why the Christie Commission of 2011 seems to have been dusted off and turned into a talking point again in recent weeks. As far as aspiration goes, the Christie Commission is right up there. In fact, I can't think of a single person I've met who disagrees with its principles. Christie rightly identified massive inefficiencies in public service delivery and emphasised the need to shift spending away from ever-growing demand and towards preventing that demand in the first place. Few disagreed on the what — the how was never addressed. The First Minister has already cited the creation of Police Scotland as an example of the kind of reform Christie inspired. This is, of course, as politically courageous a claim as it is an inaccurate one — police reform was already well under way before Christie was even established. But it illustrates just how far apart political interpretations of 'successful reform' are from public perceptions. It also assumes the public has forgotten what that reform was actually supposed to deliver. When Alex Salmond ran the temperature check on a single Scottish police service at the SNP conference in October 2010, he declared: 'If it comes down to a choice between cops and bureaucracy, between bobbies on the beat and the boundaries of police authorities, then with me it's simple — it's policemen first — safety first — communities first — bobbies before boundaries.' John Swinney is right that £200 million has been cut from the annual cost of policing, but beyond saving money, police reform brought leadership chaos, consecutive years of accounting failures and bailouts, catastrophic headlines, and several years of political pain — before finally settling into a model that delivers a much-diminished quality of service across the country, far removed from how it was sold. John Swinney (Image: PA) It's inevitable that this summer recess will see parties of all stripes grappling with questions of structural reform — particularly across local authorities and health boards. How these deliberations manifest at the conference lecterns later this year will largely determine the direction of travel for the post-2026 parliament. Structural reform holds many appeals for politicians. They look at the number of chief executives and the size of management teams replicating much of the same functions and see easy wins in cutting their number. They'll claim procurement benefits and economies of scale, while ignoring the chaos increased centralisation always causes — simply hoping that service improvement will follow. The Police Scotland experience suggests those hopes would be very misplaced indeed, as new, more expensive bureaucracies emerge to replace old ones, and those actually delivering services are jettisoned to make way for shiny new corporate functions measuring them. We can debate whether Christie failed because it was designed for an ideal world rather than the real one, or whether Christie was failed by the very institutions it aimed to inspire — who simply ignored it and carried on as before. Either way, it has not delivered the outcomes that the fanfare surrounding its publication promised. The reasons for that are not structural. Almost all of them come down to failures in leadership — and unless politicians are prepared to tackle that problem, the only thing that will change is that our public services will become centralised beasts, even further removed from the communities they are meant to serve. The fall out from that would be a price no government could survive. Calum Steele is a former General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, and former general secretary of the International Council of Police Representative Associations. He remains an advisor to both
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: It's past time to something about bloated public sector
Readers reckon the Scottish Government has its spending priorities all wrong Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Two things are destroying our finances in Scotland. Firstly, the public sector 'no compulsory redundancy' policy that leads to higher costs, massive inefficiencies and complacency. Secondly, public sector pensions where employee and employer contributions are up to a staggering 38 per cent of annual remuneration – and sometimes higher. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, home to many a public servant (Picture: Neil Hanna) Both suck massive resources out of the public purse and create an inefficient, bloated, self-fulfilling, public sector without checks and balances. That would never happen in the private sector because it would be unaffordable and the business would simply go bust. A huge 51 per cent of Scottish GDP, or about £100 billion, is public sector services that makes no profit for our country but cost us all a fortune. And unions that are, uncomfortably, supported by political parties in government have the audacity to ask for more! A cosy but frankly unhealthy relationship? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There are highly paid civil servants and local authority staff on 'garden leave' because they are qualified, selected by HR but incapable of fulfilling their roles. They can't be made redundant and can't be given another job at a lesser pay scale so, do nothing, stay at home, but receive remuneration. There are even public servants hybrid 'working' when abroad 'on holiday' – right, enjoy the pina colada! Stop the excesses. Commute some of the public sector pension contribution money to pay increased salaries then at least it benefits the Scottish economy, with money being spent in Scottish communities. Right now, the obscene amount of capital you and I have provided for public sector pensions is locked away for decades and invariably invested outside our country. We urgently need these funds now, and here. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So, to offer an example, a highly paid civil servant in Holyrood or a local authority employee earning, say, £100,000 – and there are many – might have a pension contribution of just about £40,000 p.a. A staggering and unconscionable amount. It's clear, there's an elephant in the room and we need to call it out! Ron Smith, Dundee Gaelic farce Grant Frazer does the usual oppression and abuse argument regarding the backing financially of protection of Gaelic (Letters, 24 June). I have no problem with looking after our heritage, but while cars are wrecked daily on our streets by potholes, while I have to spend £7,000 on an ankle operation, while education is in utter tatters, how come the crazy gang at Holyrood can always find money for their huggy hopes of independence? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Grant also states 'only in knowing the history of your country, can there ever be confidence in its future identity'. As someone who has more than 30 books and novels regarding my country's history, I need no lectures, to quote Honest John weekly at First Minister's Questions, about the future of my nation – I base all my thoughts around how we finance the bottomless tartan biscuit tin which is run on a wing and a prayer by the SNP while ignoring the real problems of our nation as previously mentioned. When will the lunatics in the asylum start addressing the real issues? Expect more of this before 2026! David Millar, Lauder, Scottish Borders Skewed priorities Sarah Boyack MSP proposes the creation of a 'Future Generations Commissioner' who will doubtless require a staff and a budget (your report, 24 June). Local authorities will be required to devote resources to implement the policies of the Bill. However well intentioned this may be, should we not be considering whether the additional cost is justifiable when the leader of the BMA Scotland reports that the NHS is 'dying before our very eyes' with almost half the population having to consider going private as waiting lists are, as we all know, simply too long (24 June). I know where I would prefer my taxes be spent. Michael Wood, North Berwick, East Lothian Try counselling Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I am an 83-year-old woman who welcomes the Supreme Court definition of a woman, while feeling heartfelt compassion for the transgender community. In my opinion a section of the medical profession has created this situation. Who first initiated the concept that human beings can be changed from one gender to another and enabled it through medical surgical advancement interventions? Instead of enabling people with gender dysphoria to deal with their mental and emotional trauma through conventional means it seems that some medics adopted affirmation methods and used experimental medicine and surgical procedures to achieve their client's outcome – namely, a sexual change. Gratification of desires does not always equate with happiness and I feel that those who colluded with and enabled those desires should look deep inside themselves and question the outcome of their decisions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Because we have the capacity to experiment with human beings does not mean it is the correct or moral thing to do. Monica Tocher, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian ID cards for all In 2018, former Conservative Home Secretary Ken Clarke claimed it is impossible to control illegal migration without an identity card system. Former Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson agreed. There have been periodic calls for the return of identity cards since they were scrapped by the Coalition Government in 2011. Lord Blunkett endorsed their return. Even this month he argued that since our digital fingerprints are everywhere, giving a national identity card to every citizen is a no-brainer. The UK, Ireland and Denmark are the only European countries without ID cards. They are optional in nine EU countries and mandatory in another 16. Reports suggest that our lack of ID cards is a major encouragement to migrants. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Instead of worrying about illegal immigration, the Labour government should make ID cards mandatory immediately. Steuart Campbell, Edinburgh Admit mistake This week marks the ninth anniversary of the Brexit referendum. Despite pledges of 'sunny uplands' from those who advocated for withdrawal from the EU, the negative warnings relating to Brexit have been largely borne out. Withdrawal from the EU has blown a £40 billion tax hole in the public finances between 2019 and 2024, according to a forecasting audit that finds that the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR's) projections on the impact of leaving the EU have broadly materialised. This equates to an estimated 4 per cent loss in the UK's long-run productivity, borne out by declining investment and trade volumes, in a period in which the government raised taxes by £100bn. A large chunk of these rises would therefore not have been necessary if the UK had voted to remain in the EU. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At a time when the Labour government is desperate to revive productivity and repair the public finances, it is trying to do this with one hand firmly tied behind its back. The OBR said the full impact of leaving the EU would be felt over the course of 15 years and estimates a staggering drop of 15 per cent in trade volumes, compared with if the UK had stayed in the bloc. The massive act of self-harm that is Brexit has severely damaged the UK economy, of that there is little doubt, and is now acknowledged by the public. It is now for the politicians to acknowledge the greatest economic folly of a generation and seek readmission to the EU. Alex Orr, Edinburgh Enough polls As someone who has participated in two referendums, and shares the concerns of John Rhind and Tim Flinn (Letters, 24 June), I don't want a third, on assisted dying. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As seen by Scottish Independence referendum and Brexit referendum, politicians made false promises in both and it solved absolutely nothing and if referendums were the way, this country would still have the death penalty, I understand. The issue, as seen by the number of letters to The Scotsman and other newspapers, of Scottish independence has not been solved and there are different views on the EU question. As seen by 2024 general election, politicians can make promises of 'change', as they did at the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, to win votes, and then fail to respect those of us who chose the counter opinion. It is an important issue and I am one of those whose late parents had excellent palliative care, and therefore don't support Assisted Dying. However, if the previous two referendums prove anything it that the issue isn't solved by having a referendum. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I am not sure what the answer is but the solution is definitely not a national referendum on the issue. Peter Ovenstone, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire Love idea? 'Wimbledon reveal plans for Andy Murray statue and when it will be unveiled' (Scotsman Online, 24 June). What a load of nonsense! He has an arena at Queens named after him. This is obviously SW19 wanting to be seen to do 'something'. Surely it would be better to spend money in fostering tennis skills in younger generations. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Also, what happens if Jack Draper and/or others win more Slams than Andy? It's a crazy precedent by misguided committee members looking to make a 'show'. James C Orr, Pathhead, Midlothian Write to The Scotsman
