ORGANISERS behind a “grassroots” push to create a new pro-independence party are to meet with the Electoral Commission next week, The National can reveal.

The People’s Alliance group formed in December and held its inaugural meeting earlier this month.

No office bearers have yet been elected or policies formed.

However, figures driving the move are to meet with the elections watchdog next week in a bid to form a new party ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections in 2021.

They include former SNP and Solidarity councillor Pat Lee, who remains a member of the latter party.

However, he says People’s Alliance has no ties to either of those organisations.

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Lee told The National he was inspired to act after Stuart Campbell of Wings Over Scotland indicated that he may seek to form a new party to stand on the Scottish Parliament’s regional list.

Lee said: “A lot of people were talking the talk but not walking the walk.

“This is a platform for the Yes movement to have a voice within Holyrood.”

Almost 1600 people have so far signed up to the Facebook page of the People’s Alliance, with around 60 delegates from Yes groups attending this month’s meeting in Glasgow.

Comments on the social media page include discussion about who and what existing organisations may join People’s Alliance or represent it in an election. One commenter said: “As soon as members of Solidarity, Rise or Socialist Party candidates are elected to represent the Alliance Party, I will withdraw from voting for them. To me this is them trying to get into Holyrood through the back door as they’ve been rejected in every past election. I don’t vote for Trojan Horses.

“The candidates must be neutrals from the Yes campaign where they have no affiliation to either Solidarity, Rise or any other failed left wing party.”

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Another wrote: “I was very excited about this idea until I started to read the comments on here. The movement is not even up and running officially and already people are throwing their toys out the pram – ie, if he/she/they are involved I’m not voting for you. If Scotland does not become independent within the next couple of years we will have no one to blame but ourselves. The point of this Alliance Party is to support the SNP and get us over the line, nothing else.”

On this, and on concerns over potentially splitting the Yes vote, Lee told The National: “The best result for the government of Scotland is to have a majority SNP in the first vote and a majority opposition representing the grassroots. The potential is there for that to happen. If the SNP is as successful as people are contemplating, it won’t pick up as many list seats.

“There is an opportunity to pull everybody together for the same goal and create a majority for Yes in government and opposition, which has never happened before.”