Michelle Ballantyne: Last News

Our Politics newsletter is now daily. Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox.Ex Tory right-winger Michelle Ballantyne will lead Nigel Farage's new Reform UK party in a move which means he now has an MSP at Holyrood.Ballantyne quit the Scottish Conservatives in December after clashes with the leadership on policy and direction.She provoked more controversy just days ago in a tirade against "collective madness" in the political response to the Covid-19 emergency.Reform UK is a rebranded Brexit party.

Michelle Ballantyne said she no longer felt like she fitted within the Tory group at Holyrood and would now sit as an independent list MSP for the south of Scotland. She lost out to Jackson Carlaw at the Scottish Conservatives leadership contest in February after making a string of gaffes.Carlaw lasted only months in the job and resigned as leader in July, to be replaced by MP Douglas Ross.In a statement, Ballantyne said: "It is with great sadness that I have decided to resign today from the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.“That said, I recognise and respect the work Douglas, Ruth, and their team are putting in to re-shape the future of the Scottish Conservatives and the party’s position going forward.

Douglas Ross.In a leaked message, Michelle Ballantyne said she agreed to support Ross on the understanding he leads a “Boris backing, Brexit positive, anti nat party”.The right winger added she wanted to see “cronyism” in the Scottish Tories rooted out.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood, Westminster and local councils, with a current focus on how our governments are handling the coronavirus pandemic.To sign up, simply enter your email address into the pink box near the top of this article.Alternatively, you can visit our newsletter sign up-centre.

Douglas Ross could win the Scottish Tory leadership unopposed after a potential rival backed him.Right winger Michelle Ballantyne, who was tipped as a possible candidate, has supported Ross instead.She said: “I have confidence that Douglas is in tune with the membership and that he would work with activists to ensure that their voices are heard.”Ross quickly became the favourite for the job in the wake of MSP Jackson Carlaw’s shock resignation as leader.The Moray MP announced his leadership bid today and was backed by a string of party heavyweights.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood, Westminster and local councils, with a current focus on how our