LISA Cameron's husband has reportedly stepped back from his duties as an SNP councillor after she quit the party and defected to the Tories.
The Herald reports that Mark Horsham, the sole SNP councillor in the Clydesdale South ward in South Lanarkshire, who is also the business manager for the party on the Labour-led authority, will be taking some time away from his role.
It is understood an email was today circulated within the SNP opposition group saying Horsham would be taking time out to be with his family.
A Tory source told our sister paper that Horsham was stepping back from his council role for a few days to “reflect” on whether to remain in the SNP himself.
If he were to follow Cameron by defecting, it would give the Tories two of the three councillors in the Clydesdale South ward.
Cameron became Scotland’s seventh Tory MP this morning, hours before she was expected to be deselected by local party members as their candidate for the next General Election.
She had previously threatened to call a by-election in East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow if challenger Grant Costello was chosen instead of her.
Cameron, who was elected in 2015, said the SNP’s Westminster group had a “toxic” culture that failed to tackle bullying and failed to support its MPs.
Her defection has been welcomed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, who said they were "delighted" at the move.
The SNP has urged her to quit as an MP and trigger a by-election.
SNP MP Pete Wishart tweeted: "This is exactly why the local party wanted her out and why she was about to be well beaten in a selection contest by Grant Costello."
Labour said it showed the SNP, whose annual conference opens on Sunday, were "falling apart".
