Scottish arm of Corbyn party set to run in Holyrood elections
Following an announcement that suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana had quit to join the new party, Govanhill writer and poet Jim Monaghan wrote on Twitter/X that he is part of the "interim Scottish Secretariat" of the group, which has been working to prepare for the new party.
More details have now emerged of the Scottish arm of Corbyn's new project, after several figures – including Monaghan – shared a statement by group Collective Scotland which indicated it was looking to build "a full-fledged electoral alliance of the Scottish left" to run in next year's election.
Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana (Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA) While the statement did not mention Corbyn directly, it said that "as the left across Britain comes together to form a new political party, the Scottish left now has a similar opportunity to unite".
It added: "With the SNP stagnant after 18 years of government, with the Labour party a hollow shell of itself, and the looming threat of Reform and the far-right, the time is ripe for a new progressive, left-wing consensus to form in Scotland.
"Collective Scotland is already engaged in discussions towards a conference of progressives and socialists to take place on October 4th in Glasgow. We invite all those groups and parties not already engaged in this project to join us.
"At that conference, we will look to build a full-fledged electoral alliance of the Scottish left to run in the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections, and build towards longer-term campaigns in our local communities for the 2027 Scottish local elections.
"In partnership with our left allies, we will seek to present a programme which takes away greed and personal enrichment from Scotland's political structures, and gives renewal to our local public services and democracy."
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The statement continued: "A trend that must be broken in our political traditions is to assume that all politics happens at just Holyrood or one's local council chamber. We want to be more than just an electoral alliance for Scotland's left; we want to be the link to a wider progressive social movement.
"We look forward now, as an autonomous party of Scotland's progressives and socialists, to the coalition and partnerships we must build for all of Scotland's left to succeed, not just as a set of parties, but as a wider movement."
Other figures to have shared the statement include pro-independence outlet Bella Caledonia and the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.
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