A SCOTTISH Tory who was previously condemned for supporting the far-right in France has defected to Reform.
John White is also planning to attend a “pro-UK” rally promoted by Tommy Robinson which is set to take place in Glasgow.
The arranged demonstration has been met with widespread condemnation while independence campaigners called on people to attend a march on the same day in Edinburgh.
READ MORE: Patrick Harvie: Westminster must stop normalising the far-right
White was a Tory campaigner during the General Election, posing with MPs like David Mundell and getting pictured with former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson (below).
However, party figures were left alarmed when the former council candidate boasted about his links to Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (NR).
On June 9, during a trip to France, it was reported by the Daily Record that White posted a selfie with NR leader Jordan Bardella on the day of the European Parliament elections.
Now, the newspaper reports White has severed ties with the Scottish Tories to align with Farage.
He wrote recently: “Scotland is broken. 17 years of the SNP has meant a focus on independence rather than important local services.
“We need to work on a new approach. That’s why Scotland needs @reformparty_uk.”
Reform MP Richard Tice welcomed White to his party, saying: “Great to welcome the brilliant John White.”
READ MORE: Meghan Gallacher enters Scottish Tory leadership contest
In separate social media posts, White also backed an upcoming far-right rally in Glasgow, which is set to take place in September.
Tommy Robinson is among those to back the rally, saying of the demo: “The British are rising.”
White meanwhile said: “Looking forward to joining fellow Glaswegian in George Square… to make our voices heard.
“Stand up and be counted.”
The former Scottish Tory campaigner confirmed to the Record he had joined Reform but said he shared details of the rally before Robinson.
“People will come together on September 7 2024 in George Square to say enough is enough,” White said.
“This will be a peaceful protest to share our fear for the future and have our voices heard.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has also hit out at White, saying Reform “must condemn this rally and ask themselves why someone with the views of Mr White would feel at home in their party”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel