THE Independence for Scotland Party (ISP) has decided to stand down its Holyrood candidates in favour of backing Alex Salmond's Alba Party.
In a statement posted to the ISP Twitter account on Monday, the party said that its members voted on Sunday to "put aside" their manifesto "for the sake of independence".
They now believe that there is "one unifying voice" to deliver independence in the Alba Party.
ISP was announced late last year and had 14 hopefuls ready to stand for election at Holyrood in May, including former SNP councillor Julie McAnulty and Roddy McCuish, a serving SNP-turned-ISP councillor in Argyll and Bute.
The party is led by Colette Walker, a disability rights activist who founded ISP after leaving the SNP in opposition to its approach to the reform of the Gender Recognition Act.
READ MORE: The battle for the Yes vote: This is what each party stands for
ISP's main aim is similar to that of Alba with their website stating that they want to "build a pro-independence majority in Holyrood" and also only planned to stand candidates on the regional list, rather than in constituencies against the SNP.
The party said it was putting its trust in "experienced politicians" of Alba to deliver Scottish independence.
It did however state that this is not the end of the party as they will be concentrating their efforts now on council elections next year.
— ISP - Independence for Scotland Party (@IndyScotParty) March 29, 2021
The full ISP statement can be read below:
"We have worked for over a year to create a party that is led by its members.
"On Sunday, those members voted to put aside a fully-developed manifesto for the sake of independence, assured by others in the independence movement there was now one unifying voice to get independence delivered - and that voice was the Alba Party.
"As supporters of independence in Scotland, we have all been led up this hill before and trust that this time with a collective push, the experienced politicians will finally deliver what they've been promising and our goal of 300 years will be accomplished. There is too much at stake to not try, and so we stand aside candidates drawn from across the industries and working communities of Scotland at what is perhaps the most important election in Scotland's history.
"We are not standing aside to be failed by others again but hope that our member's trust will be rewarded. This has not been an easy decision and we would like to thank all our members, particularly our candidates who have worked so hard over the past few months to make an independence list party a possibility.
"ISP will continue to make the case for how a fairer Scotland can be built and we will now concentrate our efforts on the upcoming council elections next year."
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