| LISACAMERON | SNP MP who defected to the Scottish Conservatives earlier this month (4,7) |
| DECAGON | Figure of Conservative earlier in retreat (7) |
| DAVIDSON | Ruth ___, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives (8) |
| ANNABEL | Forename of Baroness Goldie, former Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party (7) |
| RUTH | - Davidson, former leader of the Scottish Conservative Party (4) |
| RUSSELLFINDLAY | Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party (7,7) |
| BARYSHNIKOV | Mikhail ---, Soviet-born ballet dancer who defected to the West while on tour with the Kirov Ballet in 1974 (11) |
| LEEANDERSON | Ex-Conservative deputy chairman who defected to Reform UK in 2024 |
| ALCIBIADES | Athenian statesman and general in the Peloponnesian War who defected to the Spartans in 415, but returned and led the victories at Abydos and Cyzicus |
| ARNOLD | Benedict, U.S. military officer who defected to the British in 1780 in the Revolutionary War (6) |
| KIM | India-born English double agent who defected to the Soviet Union in 1963 (3,6) |
| NUREYEV | Soviet-born dancer who defected to the West in 1961, Rudolf ... |
| GUYBURGESS | British diplomat who defected to the USSR in 1951 and died in 1963 (3,7) |
| BURGESS | Guy, double agent who defected to the Soviet Union in 1951 (7) |
| RUDOLF | Russian ballet dancer and choreographer who defected to the West in 1961 |
| PETEWISHART | Longest running currently-serving SNP MP (4,7) |
| MIKHAILBARYSHNIKOV | Russian ballet dancer who defected to Canada in 1974 |
| THOMASKERR | Glasgow councillor who defected to Reform UK (6,4) |
| ANDY | Cuban baseball phenom Morales, who has defected to the U.S. |
| APOSTATIZED | Defected |
