Amanda Bland has resigned from Reform UK Scotland and will continue as an independent MSP, leaving the party in third place at Holyrood. Her departure means Scottish Labour, with 17 MSPs, becomes the second-largest party in the chamber, ahead of Reform on 16.

Bland informed the Presiding Officer on Monday that she was leaving Reform with immediate effect. A Scottish Parliament spokesperson said no reason was given in her formal notice. The Parliament’s published profile now records her as an independent from 19 October, having entered Holyrood as a Reform representative in May.

The change concerns her party affiliation, not whether she remains an MSP. Bland intends to continue representing Central Scotland and Lothians West as an independent. Reform confirmed the departure but called on her to resign the seat so that the next candidate on its regional list could take it.

Labour moves ahead of Reform

The loss of one member changes the relative size of Holyrood’s opposition groups. The Scotsman reported that Labour is now the chamber’s second-largest party, while Reform falls to third. The Herald also reported that the departure could affect procedural arrangements, including the running order at First Minister’s Questions.

Those consequences are different from a change in the government itself. Bland’s resignation alters party arithmetic and the position of opposition groups. It does not mean a new election has taken place or that she has surrendered her parliamentary mandate. The Parliament continues to list her as an elected member.

Bland said the decision followed careful deliberation. In a statement reported by the Scotsman, she said her priorities and principles had not changed. She identified fairness, public services, support for businesses and criminal justice among the issues she intended to pursue, saying she believed she could best do that as an independent.

Her public explanation emphasised the work she plans to continue rather than setting out a detailed account of why she left. The formal parliamentary notice also did not give a reason. Any account of internal circumstances therefore needs to be distinguished from the confirmed departure and from Bland’s own stated position.

Reform calls for seat to be surrendered

Reform’s response focused on the regional seat. The party argued that Bland should leave Parliament and allow the next candidate on the list to take her place. That demand is a political position, not a report that a vacancy has already been created or that a successor has taken office.

Bland was elected in May as a regional MSP for Central Scotland and Lothians West. Her move is the first loss of an MSP for Reform at Holyrood, according to the Scotsman. It comes only months after the election and reduces the party’s parliamentary group while leaving an additional independent member in the chamber.

The Scottish Parliament’s profile continues to identify Bland as a member of the Criminal Justice Committee. Her statement highlighted scrutiny of legislation, accountability in the justice system, public safety and the interests of victims. That committee role provides the institutional setting for the justice work she says she intends to carry on.

She also said she would continue holding the Scottish Government to account and representing people across the region. Leaving a party changes the support and political grouping around an MSP, but the confirmed position in this case is that she intends to remain in Parliament and continue its work.

Independent status confirmed

Monday’s accounts establish the resignation, Reform’s response and the immediate change in party standings. They do not establish a specific personal dispute as the cause. Bland’s reference to deliberation should not be turned into an unsupported explanation for her departure, just as Reform’s demand for a resignation should not be described as a completed change of member.

The immediate result is a different balance among Holyrood’s parties: Labour ahead of Reform, and Bland outside the party under whose banner she was elected. Her stated intention is to continue committee work and scrutiny as an independent. Reform wants the seat surrendered. For now, the Parliament’s record confirms that she remains an MSP with a new affiliation.