Glasgow - The Scottish Tories last night suffered the defection of two of their prominent left-wing members to the Liberal Democrats, just hours after the Conservatives' poor showing in the Paisley South by-election. But the decision of Arthur and Susan Bell was said to be unconnected with that setback, where the Tories came fourth with 7 per cent of the vote.
Rather, the couple said, it was due to disillusionment with the Conservatives over a Scottish Parliament, Europe, and the failure of Tory MPs to elect Mr Kenneth Clarke as leader in line with what they said was the majority view of grassroots opinion.
"I am a proud Scot and a proud Briton, but we were seen to be anti-Scottish. They are as blind on Europe as they have been on Scotland," Mr Bell said about the Tories.
