John Curtice: Scottish Greens face threat from Jeremy Corbyn's Your Party in 2026 Scottish election

The Strathclyde University expert said Your Party was polling slightly better in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK, which could have a negative impact on the Scottish Greens.

Mr Corbyn and Zarah Sultana MP’s new socialist party is yet to have an official name, but it is provisionally being called Your Party and is already backed by 800,000 people. Scottish supporters are hoping to create the party’s first branch in Glasgow next week.

Speaking to the Daily Record, Prof Curtice said: “If indeed Your Party is running at 4-5 per cent UK wide, and they are getting 5-6 per cent in Scotland, well that is around the level in which you are likely to start picking up a few representatives.

“If you look at the data from down south, the party that above all loses out to this hypothetical party are the Greens.

Get daily political analysis - subscribe for free to The Steamie

“If they were to get 5-6 per cent on the list vote, it may well be the Greens that could lose out above all.”

Prof Curtice said voters “cannot dismiss the possibility” of there being a handful of Your Party MSPs elected in 2026 due to Holyrood’s electoral system.

However, he saidYour Party did not pose the same threat to Scottish Labour. He said: “Labour’s vote in Scotland is nothing like as left-wing as the Labour vote south of the Border.

“This is one of the reasons why Labour has been losing ground to Reform UK more heavily north of the Border than south of the Border.

“A lot of people who voted for Labour are people who voted for the Tories in 2019. Labour picked up many more votes off the Tories in 2024 north of the Border than they did south of the Border.”

When it comes to Scotland’s other party on the left, the SNP, Professor Curtice said the impact was yet to be seen as it depended on Mr Corbyn’s stance on Scottish independence.

Previously, the former UK Labour leader said he supported the idea of a second independence referendum if that is what Scottish people wanted.

Prof Curtice said: “What they say on independence is the big uncertainty.” He added: “Corbyn is known as a campaigner. He is not known for his ability to organise anything.

“Will they manage to create an organisation? Will they be able to find the money?”

The Scottish Greens said they already represented the voice of the left in Scotland, and voters should continue to back them instead of jumping ship to Mr Corbyn’s new party.

Patrick Harvie, the party’s outgoing co-leader, said: “I don’t think it’s a shock that so many people in England are looking for a new party that can challenge Labour’s continued lurch to the right - an alternative is needed.

“Fortunately, Scotland has an organised and successful party on the left - the Scottish Greens. We fight to put the needs of people and planet before corporate profits.”