Jeremy Corbyn has urged Labour supporters “to ask themselves some very hard questions’ about its record as he unveiled plans for the first Scottish branch of his new political party.
Mr Corbyn and fellow former Labour MP Zarah Sultana will unveil the Scottish wing of the left wing party at a public assembly in Glasgow next month.
The former Labour leader was in the city to address a picket line of hotel staff who are in dispute over pay.
Asked by journalists if his new party is a threat to Scottish Labour, he said: “I think those people in the Labour party need to ask themselves some very hard questions about what this Labour government is actually doing because inequality has got worse, homelessness has got worse, poverty has got worse and we are into austerity 2.0.”
His comments, which included support for a Scottish independence referendum if there was enourgh support for one, came amid speculation that the provisionally-named Your Party could field candidates at next year’s Holyrood elections.
Polling expert Mark Diffley told a Fringe meeting in Edinburgh yesterday that he did not think the party would have time to put the required infrastructure in place.
However, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, has no party structure in Scotland and no identified candidates but has built a significant share of voting intentions and is on track to win seats.
Collective Scotland, a group operating as the Scottish arm of Corbyn and Sultana’s movement, is said to be actively preparing for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
Mr Corbyn said: “Of course I fancy our chances by the number of supporters we’ve got and the power and simplicity of the message.”
Your Party has already attracted more than 800,000 signed-up supporters across the UK.
A survey for Labour List revealed that 28% of those Labour members polled would consider leaving Labour to join ‘Your Party’, while two-thirds said they would not join the new party.
In a recent interview with Labour List, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock warned that the new party would open the door to Mr Farage.
“I’ve suggested in all comradeship that Corbyn’s outfit should be called the Farage Assistance Faction, or FAF, because they must know that the only place they can get votes is from people who would otherwise vote Labour,” said Mr Kinnock.
Mr Corbyn rejected claims that his new party would split the left and benefit Reform, saying that argument “simply doesn’t add up”.
“I’ll tell you this,” he said. “We’re not here to (assist) Reform or the Tories winning and so we will work and do work with other people.”
In a statement, Your Party Glasgow said: “Glaswegians are champing at the bit for change. We are ready to play our part in building a new democracy from the grassroots up.
“This is only the beginning. We know there are more folk out there just as passionate about real change. We want you with us. It’s Your Party after all!”
During Mr Corbyn’s comments to journalists he said in a short video that he was “astonished” that former SNP First Minster should accuse him of having an “aura of aloofness and sneering superiority”.
Mr Corbyn replied: “Nicola, if you’re watching this – get over it. Just get over it. I thought you and I got on quite well, when I was leader of the opposition and you were leader of the SNP.
“In fact, I seem to remember some quite convivial conversations with you. Can’t we have some more of those?
“I don’t sneer at anybody and certainly not at you. I treated her with respect and to be quite honest, she always treated me with respect in meetings we had.”
He added: “Nicola, if you are watching this, let’s have a cup of tea and, by the way, I want to get a copy of your book.”
Meanwhile, Jeremy Balfour has become the second sitting Scottish Conservative MSP to resign in recent weeks. Mr Balfour will sit as an independent until the Holyrood elections, saying the party no longer has a “positive platform to offer the people of Scotland”.
His resignation follows the departure of Jamie Greene who joined the Liberal Democrats.
Mr Balfour accused the leadership of being more interested in grabbing headlines than developing serious policies.
The Lothian list MSP said in a resignation letter to the party’s leader, Russell Findlay, that under his stewardship the party “had fallen into the trap of reactionary policies”.
Mr Balfour, a party member for about 40 years, was also critical of the Tories’ approach to social justice and social security issues.
He said Mr Findlay had ignored the advice of experienced MSPs, and said decisions are increasingly being taken by inexperienced advisers.
Mr Findlay has acknowledged the scale of the task facing the Scottish Conservatives who risk losing seats to Reform UK.
A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: “We are disappointed to read these comments but grateful for Jeremy’s service and wish him well.
“The Scottish Conservatives, under Russell Findlay’s leadership, recognise that many people feel completely disconnected from politics. “
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