A FORMER Tory MP who defected to Reform has left the party after being snubbed from standing in an upcoming council by-election, they have claimed.
Ross Thomson, who served as a Tory MP for Aberdeen South from 2017 to 2019, claimed that his decision was made because he believes the party is not doing enough to support the oil and gas industry in the north east.
He also said that the party are prioritising the Makerfield by-election over the contest in Aberdeen South.
Reform have instead said that Thomson was seeking to stand in the Peterhead South and Cruden council ward in a by-election set for July 2.
He told the Press and Journal: “I believe in being honest with voters, Reform are not seriously targeting Aberdeen South in this by-election, with their resources and attention focused almost entirely on Makerfield”, where Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is seeking election to Westminster to challenge Keir Starmer’s leadership.
“That is deeply disappointing given the national importance of this by-election and what it means for the future of the North Sea oil and gas industry”, he added.
He instead is now backing the Tory candidate for the contest, Douglas Lumsden, which has been triggered after Stephen Flynn resigned from his Westminster post to take up a seat in Holyrood.
“When I decided I wanted to do this, it genuinely felt like the most honourable thing to do would be to cancel my membership,” he explained in a letter to the Press and Journal.
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “We wish Ross well, but would remind people that up until very recently Mr Thomson hoped to stand for Reform.
“We can’t help if our vetting was so stringent that he did not pass.”
“As for the Tories, this is a party which introduced the energy profits levy which has sacked thousands of workers and investment.
“Folks won’t be so forgiving for the wolves in sheep’s clothing that are now promising to fix the mess they themselves created.”
Thomson’s initial roles outside of government had been in public affairs, before he took up a position in corporate sales at Trump International in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire in April 2025.
Thomson has been a vocal supporter of the right-wing US President and previously welcomed him to Scotland in 2023, thanking him for signing his “Make America Great Again” hat.
He also played a central role in Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign in Scotland in 2019.
He quit as an MP after being accused of groping another in the Strangers' Bar in the Commons in 2018. Thomson insisted the claims were "false and defamatory" and a "political smear".
He was cleared of sexual harassment by Westminster's commissioner for standards and was found to have not broken any parliamentary rules.
