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Scottish Conservative councillor defects to Reform

Getty Images Thomas Kerr, a man with dark glasses, light brown hair and a ginger beard, smiles in a close-up shot. He is wearing a blue suit and white shirt, with blurred-out vegetation in the background Getty Images
Thomas Kerr was Conservative candidate in a 2023 Westminster by-election

The Scottish Conservative group leader on Glasgow City Council has defected to Reform UK.

Thomas Kerr, who represents the Shettleston ward, was first elected as a 20-year-old in 2017 and became Tory group leader in 2019.

He was the party's candidate at the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election in October 2023, but finished a distant third.

Kerr said he had been "annoyed and angry" with the Conservatives for several months, accusing the party of failing to champion working-class communities like those in Shettleston.

He said the Tories focused too much on criticism of the SNP and "lacked a positive vision of centre-right conservatism".

The councillor also suggested Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay was not in control of the "broken" party.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme: "The problem is the Scottish Conservative party behind the scenes – Russell is not in charge.

"People who run the Scottish Conservative party will not allow Russell to bring the changes that this city and this country needs."

PA Media Russell Findlay, a man with dark hair, photographed in front a blue Conservative-branded sign. He is wearing a dark suit, a black and yellow striped tie and a white shirt. He is pointing with his left hand. PA Media
Russell Findlay's party was neck and neck with Reform in a recent poll

He also described suggestions that he joined Reform to gain a seat at Holyrood as "nonsense".

Kerr said: "This is not opportunism. I have not spoken to Reform about standing for Holyrood.

"They haven't offered me anything like that whatsoever. This is about me putting my constituents first, not myself first."

As recently as June, Kerr was critical of Reform. He warned voters ahead of the general election to be "careful what you vote for".

He told BBC Radio Scotland that the party had become more professional since the election as part of "remarkable turnaround".

"The party that I was warning people about is no longer the party that exists," the councillor said.

'Disillusioned and disconnected'

Findlay described the defection as "very disappointing".

Asked if there could be more defections, he told reporters at Holyrood: "I can't control what people may or may not decide to do."

Findlay said he understood voters were "disillusioned and disconnected" but insisted he was focused on showing "the people of Scotland that we're on their side".

Kerr was one of two Tory councillors on Glasgow City Council, and will be Reform's first in the city.

He is the fifth former Scottish Conservative councillor to join Reform - with two others in Aberdeenshire and two in North Ayrshire.

PA Media Nigel Farage, a tanned man with grey hair, speaks with his arms raised in front of a blue background. He is wearing a dark suit, white shirt and spotty tie. PA Media
Nigel Farage is hoping to make gains in the 2026 Holyrood election

Reform leader Nigel Farage said he was "delighted" to welcome Kerr.

He added that his party was looking forward to the election with "increasing anticipation".

Farage's party is aiming to win its first Holyrood seats at the 2026 election.

A Scottish Conservative source speculated that Kerr had made the move in the hope of being elected to the Scottish Parliament.

A recent Survation poll for the Holyrood Sources podcast found Reform was on course to finish in joint third place with the Conservatives on 15 seats.

A Reform UK spokesperson said: “No discussions have ever taken place regarding the Holyrood 2026 election or list rankings.”

Green councillor Anthony Carroll described Kerr's defection as a "slap in the face" for voters and said he should call a by-election.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said Findlay had "lost control of his party".

She added: "After 14 years of incompetence and sleaze in government it's no wonder the Tories are fleeing their sinking ship - but Reform doesn't have anything to offer the people of Scotland."