THE leader of Scotland’s newest pro-independence party insists now is “the time to be bold” in The National today.

Colette Walker’s Independence for Scotland Party (ISP) was announced on Saturday.

Today she has issued a strong condemnation of the rules governing Scottish elections and insisted that the coronavirus crisis proves the need for an independence push. Writing in The National, she says: “We need to do this. Now.”

The former SNP activist ran for an internal role within that party as recently as 2019 before beginning steps to launch the new organisation, which aims to fight for regional list seats at next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.

ISP have pledged to focus on their core aim before releasing further policies.

But in a piece carried by The National on Monday, Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart – Scotland’s longest-serving MP – argued that Yes parties with policies that clash with those of the SNP could prove costly at the ballot box battle for independence.

He added that splitting the SNP’s vote may result in the loss of its Holyrood majority.

Wishart wrote: “For all the clever theories about “gaming” a PR [proportional representation] system, the real risk is that instead of increasing independence representation, new parties fighting the SNP and the Greens for list votes could deny us that indy majority.

“And it might just be me, but I’m not particularly sure the public will be all that comfortable with an overt attempt to “game” a parliamentary election.

“Our proportional parliament is by no means perfect, but it is so much better than the first past the post used in Westminster. In Holyrood elections, most parties come close to securing the seats reflecting the total actual votes cast.”

READ MORE: Colette Walker: It’s time we stood up to Westminster to win independence

Responding today, Walker claims the proportional voting system used to determine Holyrood’s regional list winners and losers is amongst the reasons to back her party.

The D’Hondt system sees a party’s vote total divided by a figure which increases as it secures more seats to allow smaller rivals with lower initial totals to claim wins, and so removes the chances of a landslide win.

Walker argues that it is “a mark of how accepting we are of Westminster rule that ... the D’Hondt system has never been challenged”, she adds: “Even when we were told that the playing field had been tilted against us, we accepted it.

“The SNP has done remarkably well under those circumstances and has even managed to gain narrow majorities in Holyrood.

“They have coped with increasing budget restrictions from Westminster and have acted to alleviate the effect of that on the poorest. “But it’s not enough. Sooner, rather than later, this is going to break down.”

She goes on: “Our party offers the chance for Holyrood to break out of the straitjacket of D’Hondt and start running.”