John Swinney calls on Reform defector to quit after 'legendary hypocrisy' exposed
John Swinney has also warned a “rational” debate about immigration in Scotland is being “contaminated” by Nigel Farage, accusing Labour and the Conservatives of being “willing accessories” to misinformation.
First Minister John Swinney has called on an MSP who defected from the Tories to Nigel Farage’s Reform party to quit Holyrood - accusing him of "legendary hypocrisy”.
Central Scotland regional list MSP Graham Simpson was confirmed by Mr Farage as defecting from the Scottish Conservatives to Reform a a press conference in West Lothian, in a huge blow to Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay who has now shed three MSPs in the last four months.
Mr Simpson is currently bringing forward a bill that would allow constituents to recall their MSP for behaviour seen as unacceptable.
Speaking to The Scotsman in Glasgow, Mr Swinney said that Mr Simpson should quit and highlighted the “legendary hypocrisy”.
Asked by The Scotsman if Mr Simpson should stand down, the First Minister said: “Yes, I think he should.”
He added: “Graham Simpson is the author of a bill about recalling members of parliament when they do things that people disapprove of.
“I think there’ll be Conservative voters in Central Scotland who will be thinking ‘what is the guy I voted for doing now representing Farage’.
“So the hypocrisy of Graham Simpson is absolutely legendary on this - the author of the bill of recall now sits for a different political party. So that hypocrisy is clearly visible, so yes, I think he should (resign).”
Mr Farage, despite previously suggesting Reform could potentially prop up an SNP government at the expense of Anas Sarwar’s Scottish Labour following next year’s election, has now said he would look to tie up a deal with Labour to shut the SNP out of power.
Mr Swinney said that now means that “if you vote Labour, you’ll get Farage”, warning “that’s what Labour voters are now faced with”.
Mr Farage used his press conference in West Lothian on Wednesday to falsely claim that an increase in sexual crime in Glasgow was linked to the city being a dispersal city for asylum seekers, despite no evidence that is the case.
Mr Swinney has insisted that he is “deeply concerned” by the racist rhetoric playing a part in a genuine conversation about the need for more migration in Scotland, and accused the Conservatives and Labour of being “willing accessories” in the misinformation.
He said: “There’s a rational debate that’s got to be had about migration because we have a problem in Scotland about a working age population that is not large enough to meet our needs.
“Every sector I talk to is short of people to undertake tasks and we’re sitting with unemployment at a historic low level and it has been for a long, long time. So we’re taking steps to mobilise people who are economically inactive to get them back into the labour market but I think we need to face the reality that we need more people to be here. Migration offers a solution to that.”
Mr Swinney added: “I’m deeply concerned that the debate on migration is being essentially contaminated by the rhetoric that’s going on - driven by Farage but which the Tories and the Labour party are becoming willing accessories in that process and I will have none of it. I will not go down that road.
“I’ll give the moral leadership to continue Scotland's tradition of being a welcoming country. That’s who we are - we are not what Nigel Farage is going on about, he is not us and we won't go down that road.”
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