SCOTLAND’S top councillor – who has backed a fresh referendum on Scottish independence – has ditched Labour for the upcoming council elections in May.
Alison Evison, who is the president of councils body Cosla, will instead be on ballot papers as an independent, the Daily Record revealed.
Evison, who currently represents Labour in Aberdeenshire, said her decision was a “positive” one and that she was not disaffected with Labour.
However, it comes after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar ruled out the possibility of pro-independence candidates standing at elections under his banner and a hardline stance against indyref2.
An SNP MSP has described Evison's decision as a “devastating blow” to Sarwar and his party.
The former teacher announced her intention to stand for the Mearns ward on Facebook, writing: “Communities, not politics, must be at the heart.”
She later confirmed to the paper that she would not be standing on a Labour ticket, saying: “If you’re independent, you’re independent. It’s what it says on the tin, isn’t it?”
The councillor continued: “We only had 29% of our councillors as women. We only have 5% from ethnic minorities. We have very few disabled candidates and we have people feeling that they cannot stand for election unless they are involved in politics in a political party.
“If we want our councils to relate to our communities, it’s really important that we have people standing from across those communities.”
In 2019, Evison came out in support of a referendum on Scottish independence.
She tweeted: “It’s straightforward to me: democracy must be at the core of all we do.
“Recently it has become fragile and we must strengthen it again.
“We can strengthen it by enabling the voice of Scotland to be heard through its formal processes and that must mean a referendum on independence.”
The move was welcomed at the time by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who said: “Not for me to decide its direction, of course, but can’t help thinking that Scottish Labour would do well to listen to principled and sensible voices like @AlisonEvison.”
SNP MSP Paul McLennan said: “Scottish Labour’s most senior councillor deserting their sinking ship is a devastating blow to Anas Sarwar.
“Devoid of any positive vision for the future, Scottish Labour have consigned themselves to political oblivion.
“Their support for the broken Union at any cost has completely alienated them from voters in Scotland.
“Scottish Labour need a reality check or they face slipping even further down in the polls."
Earlier this year, Sarwar ruled out claims his party would allow pro-independence candidates to stand in upcoming elections.
Scottish Labour’s leader shot down claims made by a senior party source in the Sunday Times, saying the person quoted “clearly doesn't understand that decisions on selecting candidates in Scotland”.
Confirmation of Evison's move comes days after a former Labour candidate for Holyrood left the party over its stance on independence and warned opposition would only drive more supporters away.
Heather Herbert ran to be an MSP in 2021 but joined the pro-independence Greens ahead of May’s local elections.
Last year, Scottish Labour candidate for Holyrood Hollie Cameron was removed by the party from the contest after she backed indyref2.
A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “People have the chance to elect a local champion that will stand up for their local community on May 5 by voting Scottish Labour.
“Scottish Labour is committed to standing a full array of candidates who are committed to Scotland’s national recovery and to their local communities.”
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