Fife Conservative councillor Robin Lawson has quit his party in favour of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, The Courier can reveal.
Mr Lawson is understood to be have resigned from the Scottish Conservatives last week.
The St Andrews councillor – first elected in 2022 – told The Courier his resignation was not due to disagreements with the Fife Council Conservative group, led by Councillor Kathleen Leslie.
Instead he cites disagreement with direction of the party under Scottish leader Russell Findlay and UK party chief Kemi Badenoch.
Mr Lawson said: “I’m not a right-winger in the extreme sense.
“I am not concerned here in Fife in my role about immigration, but I do feel we are not getting value for money.
Broken road signs
“The council try their best but it’s not prioritised the way I’d like to see it being prioritised.”
Mr Lawson also says he feels Scots needed to have more pride in where they live.
He added: “One of the things that’s upset me for the last year or so is the number of broken road signs. That is symptomatic of the problems.
“We need to be more proud of where we live and not be bashful about saying we love this place.
“We need to get our fellow citizens to realise people don’t do things for them, they need to go and brush the pavement outside their front door and help the council.”
One Fife Council source in another party said they were “surprised” by the move.
Mr Lawson has joined Reform UK as an individual for now but hopes to be accepted as an official councillor.
He would be the party’s first councillor in Fife.
A spokesman for the party refused to confirm if it is in talks with Mr Lawson, saying only that discussions were under way with councillors across Scotland.
If Mr Lawson is accepted he would become Nigel Farage’s latest councillor. It comes after the party secured an “unprecedented” win in English local elections.
Mr Farage was jubilant after his candidates gained 677 seats, took control of 10 councils and clinched two mayoral wins.
The party also performed well in a recent Glenrothes by-election, polling third ahead of the Scottish Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: “We wish Councillor Lawson well.”
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