An Aberdeenshire councillor who quit the Tories in a row over local nursery closures says he will back Nigel Farage’s Reform party at the next Holyrood election.
Robbie Withey’s pledge for May 2026 is the latest warning sign for the Conservatives where three other former Tories have already defected to the rival party.
“I will certainly be supporting them at next year’s Scottish elections and will almost certainly be looking to join the party,” he told the Press and Journal.
He wants to discuss priority policies on reforming the council and its services before making a final decision.
Mr Withey now sits as an independent councillor in Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford.
It’s has been a difficult period for the Conservatives locally, including Gillian Owen quitting as group leader last week.
Timeline of Tory turmoil
Former leader and Troup councillor Mark Findlater left in cryptic circumstances last October before announcing he was joining Reform.
He was joined by ex-Tory Mearns councillor Laurie Carnie who had already been sitting as an independent member.
Earlier this month the P&J revealed Mr Withey had left the group after decisions to mothball nurseries at Glass, Huntly, Crossroads and Ballogie.
On May 6 we revealed Ellon councillor John Crawley was also joining Reform after feeling “let down by so many broken promises”.
Meanwhile, Ms Owen was embroiled in damaging in-fighting over text messages she sent branding fellow Tories “f***king b****ds”.
She quit the post last week, days after telling the P&J nothing had changed.
The P&J then revealed she had apologised for a second insult in an offensive message about a rival councillor.
Beyond the Conservative group, former SNP councillor John Cox joined Reform in January but continues to represent Banff as an independent member.
‘Reform not the answer’
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said he does not understand the appeal of Nigel Farage.
Speaking after Reform made big gains in English council elections this month, Mr Findlay said: “What I understand is why people, voters in Scotland and across the United Kingdom, feel disillusioned, they feel disconnected and left behind with politics.”
A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said today: “Under Russell Findlay’s leadership we are proudly standing up for the values of mainstream Scotland.
“We will rebuild trust among voters disillusioned by the cosy left-wing consensus at Holyrood, who just want some common sense for a change.”
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