Michelle Ballantyne

Michelle Lorraine Ballantyne (née Cross; born 28 November 1962) is a British property developer, former politician and former nurse who served as Leader of Reform UK Scotland from January 2021 to February 2022. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South Scotland region from 2017 to 2021, having been elected for the Scottish Conservatives.

Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Ballantyne studied at Royal London Hospital before working as a staff nurse and health service manager in London. She moved to the Scottish Borders in 1990 and established a manufacturing business there with her husband. After graduating with an honours degree from Heriot-Watt University, she managed an acute medicine department in Edinburgh and took a position at a charity supporting people struggling with drugs and alcohol.

Elected to Scottish Borders Council in 2012, Ballantyne took a seat in the Scottish Parliament in 2017 on the Scottish Conservative regional list. She was a candidate in the February 2020 leadership election but lost to Jackson Carlaw. She resigned from the party in November 2020 in protest at its support for coronavirus lockdown measures. After sitting as an independent, she joined Reform UK in January 2021 and was appointed as Leader of Reform UK Scotland. She lost her seat in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election and quit as the leader of Reform UK in Scotland in February 2022.

Ballantyne was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. She studied nursing at Royal London Hospital in East London, beginning her career working as a staff nurse in an intensive care unit before progressing into a finance and management position at South West Thames Regional Health Authority.

Ballantyne moved to the Scottish Borders in 1990 to establish a manufacturing business with her husband in Walkerburn. During this period, she continued to work as a nurse within social care, while also completing an Honours degree as a mature student at Heriot-Watt University in Galashiels. After graduation, she returned to health service management in 2000, managing an acute medicine department in Edinburgh.

Ballantyne and her husband sold their house and became tenants to enable her to work closer to home. Ballantyne took a position in 2005 as head of an independent local charity providing specialist drug and alcohol support to children, families and offenders.

While a member of the Scottish Conservatives, Ballantyne was first elected to Scottish Borders Council at the 2012 council election as one of three representatives for Selkirkshire. She contested the Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale constituency at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election but finished second place behind Christine Grahame.

Ballantyne led the Conservative group into the 2017 Scottish Borders Council election. The Conservatives gained five seats at the election and subsequently entered into a coalition with the independent group to take control of the council from the incumbent SNP, Liberal Democrat and independent administration.