6 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
New left-wing party eyes 2027 election after messy launch
Britain's newest political party didn't get off to the best start.
Within minutes of Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana announcing she'd quit Labour and was forming a new left-wing party that she would co-lead alongside Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader and his inner circle were furiously trying to undo it.
Still, if they get their act together — and there are some serious people involved here, which suggests they might — are there enough voters in Scotland who could be tempted?
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I spoke to some of those involved with the group, including members of the Secretariat — the three-person organising committee who've been in place since last December.
They say there's no doubt some Scots who voted Labour last year feel burned. The Welfare Bill, the two-child benefit cap, cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment, that 'island of strangers' speech, and Gaza have all left a mark.
There's awareness the launch was messy — 'Zarah jumped the gun,' one said — but efforts are being made to pull things back together before the Westminster recess.
They believe the new party will launch properly in the next couple of weeks, with as many as six MPs and around 200 councillors on board.
The aim is to harness community campaigners, not just party insiders: 'It'll be people from disability campaigns, housing campaigners.'
A recent letter in Scottish Left Review set out some of the thinking here.
It called for a new left-wing alternative in response to climate breakdown, rising inequality and 'the rise of far-right and fascist formations'.
It condemned Labour and the SNP for continuing austerity and embracing militarism, and accused Sir Keir Starmer of 'driving millions into deeper poverty and destitution'.
'We cannot wait for deliverance,' they wrote. 'Building a left alternative is urgent.'
This Letter Group pledged to unite trade union, community and activist forces into a credible electoral force that could stand up to both 'the poison of Reform' and 'the failings of the other establishment parties'.
It was signed by, among others, independent Edinburgh councillor Ross McKenzie and Glasgow Labour councillor Matt Kerr.
Cllr Kerr didn't respond to my request for a comment, but Cllr McKenzie said he was "definitely interested in seeing how it develops."
"Clearly there are still unknowns about the structure this party will take and how that will be applied in Scotland," he added.
One of my sources claimed Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba as a possible supporter.
She didn't respond to my request for comment, and this could just be wishful thinking on the new party's behalf.
The new group don't yet have a name, though one contact said colleagues in England were mulling over calling it Solidarity — despite that name's history in Scotland.
It's worth pointing out the left is not all on board here. The Campaign for Socialism, the autonomous left-wing group within Scottish Labour, has urged supporters to stay and fight within the party, arguing Labour remains 'the best vehicle for the hopes of the many'.
They warned against handing Labour to those who would 'see it destroyed rather than become a vehicle for radical politics'.
If they get their act together and stand on the list next year, there's little doubt this new party could take votes from Scottish Labour, the Greens and the SNP.
But, my contact said, their main focus was on the 2027 local elections. Interestingly enough, a contact in Reform said the same thing to not that long ago.
Never mind the battle for Bute House — the battle for Scotland's town halls is already well underway.
