Tuesday March 17th 2026
Midlothian Councillor David Virgo.
This View has been written by Councillor David Virgo
A change in political direction in Midlothian may not shake the world, but some seem determined to inflate it far beyond its worth. So, for the sake of clarity—and to cut through the noise—I’m setting out the facts myself.
Last November, after a long period of growing disillusionment, I made the decision to leave the Scottish Conservatives. It wasn’t sudden. It followed increasing frustration with both policy direction and the increasingly strained relationship between Westminster and devolved government. The new Labour government has done little to repair that dynamic, and I no longer believe the union, in its current form, serves Scotland’s best interests. For many, the direction of travel from there will be obvious.
I have joined the Scottish National Party because I believe Scotland deserves leadership that puts Scotland first—not leadership that treats Scottish priorities as secondary to decisions made in England.
But let me be equally clear about something else: in Midlothian, the council is being run well. That’s not down to one party or one person—but for my part, my personal approach has been that political differences must always come second to what’s best for Midlothian. That approach has meant sitting round the table, disagreeing respectfully, and finding consensus. I intend to continue exactly that, supporting the administration where our shared goal is improving life for every resident in this county.
It is, however, telling that my former colleagues recently tabled a motion demanding privileges in the name of cross‑party working, while simultaneously criticising me for actually practising it. They also accused me of supporting administration decisions—carefully omitting that they had done the same, or that last year’s budget passed with a Conservative amendment. Context matters.
And on the subject of context: they complained within a week of my departure, my name appeared on the SNP group door, while conveniently ignoring that, within days, they had already met with council officers to discuss removing me from their office. There is more, but you get a glimpse of the petty, vindictive culture I chose to walk away from.
When I became group leader in 2022, I inherited a fractured group—one councillor had reported another to the Standards Commission in the previous term. Despite that, they were prepared to continue propping up a Labour administration that had left Midlothian staring at a £40 million financial black hole by 2027/28, and were hoping an SNP administration would take the blame for trying—and failing—to fix it.
That didn’t happen. I’m proud of the role I played in steering Midlothian away from that cliff edge, and I intend to keep supporting progress where it benefits the people we serve.
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