A SCOTTISH Labour councillor has quit the party and joined the Conservatives, citing her fears over a second independence referendum.

Angela Doran-Timson is a councillor in the Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh ward of West Lothian, having been elected in 2017.

Doran-Timson, who married West Lothian council’s Conservative group leader Damian Timson in December 2020, said she believes only the Tories can stop indyref2 – describing that as the “biggest threat to our country”.

“Over and over again, Labour have been weak on the Union and not strong enough in standing up to the SNP. At council meetings, they have not been prepared to oppose the SNP. Some in the Labour group would even be happy to see indyref2,” she said.

“I became a councillor to help as many people as possible and make my ward a better place to live and work,” she added.

“I have seen the West Lothian Conservatives bring forward many great ideas to make this happen, only for it to be rejected by Labour playing political games.

“I look forward to continuing the hard work for all my constituents as a Scottish Conservative and Unionist councillor.”

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Douglas Ross said he was “delighted” to welcome Doran-Timson to the party.

“More and more ex-Labour voters, just like Angela, have decided to vote Scottish Conservative in recent elections,” the Moray MP commented.

“While Labour fell backwards to their worst ever Holyrood result, we won more votes than ever before and more people like Angela are joining us as we build Scotland’s real alternative to the SNP.”

Meanwhile, SNP MSP for Linlithgow Fiona Hyslop said doran-Timson's defection shows that Labour and the Conservatives "continue to be out of touch" with their members in Scotland.

"A large chunk of them support the people of Scotland having a choice over their future," she added.

"Whilst Labour in Scotland continue to fall into irrelevance, Labour in Wales have embraced democracy by acknowledging the right of the people to choose Welsh independence – Anas Sarwar could learn a thing or two from Mark Drakeford.

"If Labour continue to show unconditional support for Westminster control in Scotland then they will continue to slide even further into irrelevance."

A spokesperson for Labour said their 2022 council candidates would be “committed to standing up for the interests of the communities that they serve, not their own personal interests”.