Senior Scottish Tory MSP 'can't predict more defections' and makes 'collegiate unit' claim

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton and Russell Findlay | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

The deputy leader of the Scottish Tories has insisted the party is a "collegiate unit" as she was unable to confirm that no further MSPs will leave Russell Findlay’s team at Holyrood.

Rachael Hamilton was speaking after the Scottish Conservatives lost two MSPs in the space of a week - with Lothians MSP Jeremy Balfour quitting to become an independent politician while Graham Simpson defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton and leader Russell Findlay | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Mr Findlay’s leadership has been branded “utter chaos” by his MSPs, who have accused him of ignoring internal concerns his move to shift the party to appeal to Reform voters is backfiring.

Ms Hamilton has admitted she could not rule out further Tory MSPs heading for he exit door in he run up to next year’s crucial Holyrood election, where the Conservatives are forecast to lose around half of their seats to Reform, according to consistent polling.

READ MORE: Tory MSPs blast 'utter chaos' under Russell Findlay after Reform defection as leader ignores concerns

Ms Hamilton, a close ally of Mr Findlay, told the BBC that she was “really disappointed to have lost colleagues”.

She added: “We’re a very collegiate unit. We will continue to work really hard as we go into the next Holyrood election. Russell Findlay has set out a number of really sensible policies.

“We’re the only party who wants to lower taxes, for example and actually put more money into people’s pockets and support entrepreneurs and businesses.”

Ms Hamilton added: “We are a collegiate group. Russell Findlay has been working really hard over he summer to engage with colleagues, to engage with councillors.

“Some colleagues were expected to jump ship and it was no surprise.”

Pressed over whether MSPs would “jump ship” if everything within the party was “plain sailing”, Ms Hamilton said: “It is absolutely, 100 per cent, going in the right direction under Russell Findlay.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, right, and MSP Graham Simpson | PA

“Russell Findlay is an engaging leader who has a strategy, he has policy development ongoing and our colleagues are feeding into that.

“We are the main opposition to the SNP and we want to boot them out of Holyrood next year and that is what we continue to focus on.”

Pressed about Reform leading the Scottish Tories in four of the last polls, Ms Hamilton said that “polls are polls”.

She added: "We've defied them in the past. The Scottish Conservatives were predicted, in every election, not to do as well as we have done.

“We will continue to work hard. The electorate are not happy with the SNP at the moment. They have had nearly 20 years of not delivering for Scotland.

“As we get closer to the Holyrood election, the electorate will continue to understand that we are the main opposition and I hope they will support us as we develop our policies.”

Asked if any more MSPs will leave in the run-up to May’s election, Ms Hamilton said: “I hope there won’t be any more defections.

“Russell Findlay has always said he cannot predict what is round the corner. I would hope that with six months to go, all of our colleagues are just going to be focused on ensuring we boot the SNP out and not looking to go elsewhere.”

She admitted that “I can’t predict any defections”.