Former Tory MSP Jamie Greene defects to Lib Dems

Former Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Greene has defected to the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

The former frontbencher quit the Scottish Tories with immediate effect on Thursday.

In a letter to leader Russell Findlay, the West of Scotland MSP said the party had become "Trump-esque in both style and substance" to win over right-wing voters.

At the Scottish Liberal Democrats' annual conference in Inverness, its leader Alex Cole-Hamilton confirmed Greene had joined the party.

Cole-Hamilton described him as an "effective communicator" and said Greene had "such symmetry with our outlook and our values as a party".

He said Greene had agreed to join the party earlier that morning.

Green thanked the Lib Dem conference for the "incredible reception" and joked that it was "double the size" of the Conservative conference.

"The last few days have been tumultuous to say the least," he said.

"In the last 48 hours I've gone from being politically homeless like many Scots right now, to joining you here now in my new home.

"I think everyone deserves a home to feel welcome where they know they belong. I know my journey here was slow but it's the destination that matters, not how you get here."

He added: "It really feels like a breath of fresh air to be here in this room with you now."

Greene has been the West of Scotland MSP since 2016.