Politics Morning Star
Scottish Labour second in Holyrood after Reform walkout
SCOTTISH Labour have become the official opposition in Holyrood after Amanda Bland quit “ragbag” Reform. Both parties had 17 MSPs each until Monday afternoon, when the list MSP for the Central Scotlan
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SCOTTISH Labour have become the official opposition in Holyrood after Amanda Bland quit “ragbag” Reform.
Both parties had 17 MSPs each until Monday afternoon, when the list MSP for the Central Scotland and Lothians West region announced she would go independent.
In a statement, the former police officer did not specify the reason for her departure, but made clear her “priorities and principles remain unchanged.”
Speaking the morning after on BBC Radio Scotland, Reform’s Holyrood Malcolm Offord described the resignation as “annoying and irritating.”
Apparently unaware that Reform’s first MSP in the last parliament, Graham Simpson, was in fact a Tory list MSP who defected, the merchant banker added: “She’s now proposing to squat in a list place won by Reform for four and a half years.
“If you’re a list MSP, you’re listed there just on the vote for the party.”
Welcoming the development, First Minister John Swinney said: “The decision of Amanda Bland to stand down from Reform, I think, indicates what all of us could see — that Reform is a ragbag.”
Welcoming Scottish Labour’s return to second party status after five years in third, its deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: “No-one will be surprised to see chaos at the heart of Reform.
“They have always been a group of chancers, grifters and Tories in disguise.
“Despite all the big talk and promises ahead of the election, Nigel Farage’s party has been utterly useless at holding the SNP to account or getting results for the Scottish people. It’s been a series of stunts, gimmicks, photo calls and precious little else.
“We will work to hold the SNP to account and deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland.”