Former deputy Scottish secretary Malcolm Offord has defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.

Baron Offord of Garval, who currently sits in the House of Lords, is the first Conservative peer to defect to Reform.

Offord held the role of under-secretary of state for Scotland under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

He also became under-secretary of state for exports until the Conservatives lost the 2024 election to Labour.

On Saturday, he appeared at a rally in Falkirk attended by Farage where he announced his decision to defect to Reform UK.

He also announced plans to stand for the party at next year’s Holyrood elections.

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