Councillors defect from Greens to become first Your Party representatives in Scotland

Seonad Hoy, Dan Hutchison and Leòdhas Massie, who were all previously Greens, announced they will form a group on the city council having joined Your Party.

The announcement comes ahead of Zarah Sultana’s visit to Glasgow this evening, where she is due to speak to a crowd of more than 400 supporters in Maryhill.

Ms Hoy was elected in March last year after leading the Greens to their first ever by-election victory in Hillhead. Mr Hutchison previously headed up the party’s campaigns in Glasgow, and has been a councillor since 2022.

He said: “For too long has the neoliberal consensus of the SNP, Labour and the Conservatives decimated our public services, sold our public assets off to the highest bidder.

“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.”

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.”

More than a dozen Scottish Greens activists and candidates have also defected to Your Party, including Ellie Gomersall, who was selected second on the Greens’ Glasgow list.

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 1200 people joining us in recent months. We look forward to electing even more eco-socialists in Glasgow next May.”