Corbyn's Your Party gets first Scottish councillors as Greens defect

Ellie Gomersall, who was second on the Scottish Greens regional list for Glasgow for next year's Scottish Parliament elections - and three Glasgow city councillors, Dan Hutchison, Seonad Hoy and Leodhas Massie, have all defected.

The trio of councillors become the first elected representatives the fledgling Your Party has north of the border - and it has been reported more than a dozen other Scottish Greens activists and candidates have also defected, putting a dampner on the party's recent boost in membership numbers.

The news came as Zarah Sultana was due to address a rally in Glasgow this evening.

Gomersall, who has been outspoken about the leadership of the Scottish Greens in recent months around the party's MSPs' "voting through budgets which have cut funding", said: "Where every single one of the existing Holyrood parties is complicit in passing on brutal cuts to public services, it's clear to me that only Your Party can be taken seriously to stand firm against austerity and work to materially improve the lives of the working class.

"I'm grateful to all those who supported me during my time in the Greens, and my message to each of you is simple: if you want to see socialists elected to our parliaments, city chambers and town halls across Scotland and the UK, join me in Your Party."

Hutchison - who represents the Govan ward on Glasgow City Council - said: "I've spent the last 10 years fighting to get the Greens to be the left-wing force they think they are.

"But their MSPs have their heads deep in the sand, voting to cut budgets year after year and enabling the largest sell-off of public land to the private sector.

"While Your Party is still in its early days, it's the largest step toward unity that I've seen on the left in my lifetime. The damage that the parties in Holyrood have already done to our public sector is catastrophic but is nothing compared to the damage that a Farage-led government will do.

"I'm proud to be joining a truly socialist party who will not accept the status quo, will actually involve ordinary people in the politics that impacts their lives, and won't be accepting brutal cuts in exchange for scraps off the table."

The defections will be seen as a high point for Your Party, the early months of which were marred by an apparent split between Ms Sultana and former Labour leader and fellow co-founder Jeremy Corbyn over how members will be able to sign up.

Ms Sultana threatened legal action, but later backed away, saying it was "for the sake of the party".

In a statement, Your Party Glasgow said: “We welcome the decision of three Glasgow City councillors to join Your Party. Tens of thousands of people across Scotland, Wales and England have joined us because enough is enough. Enough poverty and enough injustice: we need a new type of politics.

“We need a grassroots movement to build power in our communities and identify new leadership to channel that power in our electoral system. Today is another small step in that process, and we welcome Seonad, Dan and Leòdhas who want to take their place in that movement.”

A Scottish Greens spokesperson said: "We're disappointed to hear that they have decided to leave our party and Glasgow's largest group of socialist councillors. We thank them for the work they have done as Green councillors.

"Scottish Greens have always stood up for people and the planet in Glasgow and beyond, whether protecting public services from cuts, or fighting to improve our public transport.

"Our councillors will continue to lead the fight for their communities and against the billionaire profiteers who exploit Scottish workers and pollute our planet.

"We've seen a huge surge in support for the Scottish Greens, with record polling and over 1,200 people joining us in recent months. We look forward to electing even more eco-socialists in Glasgow next May."