Former Tory MSP Jamie Greene defects to Lib Dems

Less than 24 hours after quitting the Tory party over its “Reform-lite agenda” and “Trump-esque narrative”, MSP Jamie Greene has joined the Scottish Lib-Dems.

Scottish Lib Dem leader leader Alex Cole-Hamilton welcomed Greene to the party on Friday afternoon at his party’s conference in Inverness.

“Jamie Greene’s decision to resign the Conservative party whip has sent shockwaves through British politics,” Cole-Hamilton said.

“Let me be clear, Greene won’t be joining our party in the future because he already did that this morning.”

Greene then came out to a standing ovation from Lib Dem members.

“This is incredible and it’s double size of the Conservative party conference I think,” he quipped.

“I can’t see out the back. I am really happy to be here. In the last 48 hours I’ve gone from being politically homeless like many Scots right now to joining you here to day in my new home.”

National Lib-Dem leader Ed Davey also welcomed Greene to the party claiming that he is “one of thousands” of former Scottish Conservatives turning to the Liberal Democrats.

“These are former Conservatives who see their old party get further and further away from the fundamental, decent values we share,” Davey said.

“Who have heard Conservative leaders sound more like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage and feel let down and taken for granted by today’s Conservative party and who feel the same as Jamie Greene.”

Davey added: “We welcome them just like we welcome you today, Jamie.”

Greene had been a Tory MSP for West Scotland since 2016, but on Friday he announced that he would be joining the Lib Dems as their fifth MSP at Holyrood.

Greene quit the Tory party “with immediate effect” on Thursday morning as he warned that the party is “deserting the middle ground” in an effort to “chase the votes of Reform Party supporters” and “fringe right-wing” Scottish voters.

“The party now rests its hopes on a Reform-lite agenda that appeals to the worst of our society, and not the best,” Greene said.

“I cannot be part of a narrative which has become Trump-esque in both style and substance.”

He added: “Instead of proudly leading on equality, we now run the very serious and immediate risk of becoming once again the party of social division and morality wars.”

On Friday when he appeared at the Lib-Dem spring conference, Greene appealed to centre-right conservatives: “If you want to fight the Trumpism that has appeared in our political back yard, if you feel same way as I do, then there is a home you and that home is here [with the Lib-Dem party].”

In response to Greene quitting his party on Thursday, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said he was disappointed.

However, Findlay said he promised to take the Tory party in a new direction when he was elected and believes he is keeping those promises.

“I promised change and I keep my promises, so I will keep standing up for the common-sense values of mainstream Scotland and opposing the damage caused by Holyrood’s left-wing consensus,” Findlay said.

“I’ll continue taking a strong stance against the SNP on tax, gender self-identification, and the damage they’ve done to Scotland’s schools.

“Others may believe it’s best to let the SNP have their way. I will always oppose their dangerous agenda and put forward a proud conservative vision of a different Scotland.”