(Image: Getty)
Amanda Bland, Reform UK's justice spokeswoman at Holyrood, has resigned from the party dealing a fresh blow to Malcolm Offord's operation.
The former police officer, elected on the Central Scotland and Lothians West list, will now sit as an independent.
Her resignation will see Reform slip from the joint second largest party in the Parliament to third behind Scottish Labour, which will likely mean some significant procedural changes and see them lose their position in the running order for First Minister's Questions.
Reform has called on Ms Bland to quit as MSP so that she can be replaced by the next candidate on the regional list.
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In a statement, Ms Bland said she made the decision "after careful deliberation". However, she did not say why she quit.
She said: "My priorities and principles remain unchanged. I entered politics to champion fairness and common sense, protect women and children, improve public services, support businesses to thrive, and work towards a fairer and more effective criminal justice system.
"As a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, I remain committed to scrutinising legislation, holding the justice system to account and supporting practical measures that improve public safety, protect victims and ensure justice is served.
"Holding the Scottish Government to account remains a key priority, and I believe I can best pursue these goals as an Independent MSP.
"My responsibility to the people and communities I represent across Central Scotland and Lothians West remains unchanged. I will continue to work hard on their behalf, focusing on the issues that matter to them.
"My focus remains firmly on representing the people of Central Scotland and Lothians West and holding the Scottish Government to account in the public interest.
"I will not be making any further statements or giving interviews regarding Reform UK.
"My focus is on my responsibilities as an Independent MSP and on serving the people and communities I represent."
A spokesperson for the party said: "We can confirm Amanda Bland has resigned as a Reform UK member of the Scottish Parliament to sit as an independent MSP.
"We are proud of a talented and united team of MSPs at Holyrood who have supported each other at every step of the way.
"Amanda Bland should reflect on her reasons for choosing to isolate herself from that team of capable individuals.
"It is incumbent on her to resign as a regional MSP for Central Scotland and Lothians West and allow her constituents to be represented by the next Reform candidate on that list."
A source close to Reform suggested Ms Bland had struggled to fit in with the group.
They said Ms Bland had dismissed a member of staff before the summer recess, and that her head of office had quit last week, citing difficulty working with her.
The source said she had been due to attend a meeting on Wednesday with Reform's chief whip, Max Bannerman, and the party's chief of staff Martyn Green to discuss why she had been unable to keep an office together.
They claimed she had turned down invitations to group dinners and had at one point tried to decline an invitation to a policy meeting, prompting Mr Offord to step in.
“We’re a group. We’re a team,” the source said. “The other MSPs didn’t know each other from Adam, but you see them having a cup of tea, going out for lunch, building bridges. She chose a different path.”
The Reform source said the move left “bad tastes in people’s mouths” because the party never had the chance to discuss the issues with her before she quit.
The news will be a blow to Malcolm Offord (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
Scottish Labour's Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said no one would surprised to see "chaos at the heart of Reform".
She added: “They have always been a group of chancers, grifters and Tories in disguise.
“Despite all the big talk and promises ahead of the election, Nigel Farage's party has been utterly useless at holding the SNP to account or getting results for the Scottish people, it's been a series of stunts, gimmicks, photo calls and precious little else.
“Scottish Labour is now the second largest party at Holyrood, and we will work to hold the SNP to account and deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland.”
A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: "With Nigel Farage's Reform being weak and ineffective at Holyrood, the Scottish Conservatives will continue standing up to the SNP and fighting for Scotland's taxpayers."
Scottish Liberal Democrat David Green said: "It's no surprise to see Reform's wheels coming off just a few months after they entered the Scottish parliament for the first time.
"After a chaotic campaign in the spring, the party has been hit by scandal after scandal, and I'm sure more and more of its MSPs will be taking a long hard look at what they've signed up for."
A Scottish Parliament spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Amanda Bland wrote to the Presiding Officer today to advise him that she would be serving as an independent Member with immediate effect. The Parliament website has been updated accordingly.
“The Presiding Officer will notify the Bureau of associated changes to business prior to Parliament resuming next week.”
Ms Bland was elected from the regional list after finishing third in Falkirk East and Linlithgow with 7,906 votes, well behind the SNP’s Martyn Day on 14,465.
Ms Bland, 58, spent a decade as a police officer before working in multi-agency child protection and as a primary teacher.
She recently told the Sunday Post she grew up in Glasgow in a home marked by domestic abuse and coercive control, and that this shaped her decision to specialise in child protection.
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Her departure comes as the party faces fresh scrutiny on a number of fronts.
Police Scotland is assessing information about whether Reform candidates broke election spending rules at the May election.
The Sunday Times and The Ferret reported that four Holyrood candidates had not submitted returns showing what they spent and the value of donations, while five others who did submit returns had not signed them off properly.
None of the nine was elected.
Reform has put the failings down to “simple administrative errors from a new party” and says each individual has since provided the information requested.
In footage broadcast on Sunday, a would-be Reform MP said Muslims could not be British and suggested asylum seekers be put in “concentration camps”.
Reform said it had opened investigations where members had “clearly behaved inappropriately” and that there was “no room for racism” in the party.
Last month the Metropolitan Police launched a criminal investigation into claims that senior figures in the party broke rules on foreign donations, following a Channel 4 News undercover investigation.