A GROUP of Your Party branches from across Scotland have called for unity and transparency amid a row over membership.
Branches from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Forth Valley, Glasgow and Lanarkshire have sent an open letter to Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, urging them to "work together in the interest of the many, not a few".
It comes as Sultana released a statement late on Friday evening where she said she had instructed specialist defamation lawyers after being "the subject of a number of false and defamatory attacks" regarding the launch of Your Party's membership portal.
On Thursday morning, an invite went out to supporters of the temporarily-named Your Party, inviting them to officially sign up and give it financial backing.
But Corbyn described this as an “unauthorised email” and warned people in a statement posted on social media not to sign up via the link.
He then went on to say “legal advice is being taken” over the message , in a statement which featured the names of four other Independent MPs who have set up an ad-hoc parliamentary group with Corbyn.
Sultana responded by saying she had been "treated appallingly and excluded completely", as she said she was subjected to "what can only be described as a sexist boys' club".
The party later said it had reported itself to the UK’s data protection watchdog, claiming that a “false membership system has been unilaterally launched”.
In an open letter sent to Sultana and Corbyn on Saturday, Scottish branches have made a series of demands of those leading the process of founding Your Party.
These include a de-escalation of the disagreements seen earlier in the week, a relaunch of membership "in earnest", and transparency of leadership going forward.
The open letter reads: "In Scotland, as across Britain, this is a generational opportunity to build something new. Drug deaths remain at record levels. Rough sleeping and homelessness represent the very worst of a housing emergency. Local councils and services have been hollowed out. Austerity from Holyrood has done little to protect us from the worst indulgences of right-wing governments in London.
"Tens of thousands of us, as the public already knows, recognise this cannot go on. Only a radical political programme can start to reverse this societal decline, and there is no time to waste."
The groups said they would stay "motivated and united", pointing towards meetings which have taken place already across Scotland which show "an undoubted appetite for a new kind of politics".
"This public setback cannot be allowed to slow the momentum behind Your Party. The stakes are far too high," they added.
The open letter continued: "Your Party doesn’t belong to MPs: it belongs to all of us. By taking on the responsibility of setting up the new party, there is also an expectation that decisions are made for the benefit of the 800,000 people who have put their faith in this process and with the urgency and seriousness required to fight the encroaching far-right and threats of global fascism. This is what we demand from political leaders.
"We welcome and echo the widespread calls for calmer heads to prevail, for all sides in this disagreement to meet and put the founding and future of Your Party first.
"We must begin, in earnest, the membership process which was launched on Thursday.
"We must all deescalate, work together, and reject temptations to intensify hostility towards our comrades and friends. Transparency and respect are crucial.
"We must look forward to the founding conference, and continue to engage with communities across the country to build a party fit for the future, and to fight the creep of fascism.
"We must all demand transparent leadership from those who seek to lead our movement. There was precious little of that on show yesterday, but we can reflect and build Your Party together. "
The open letter concluded: "It is now time to show the public, and the many bad faith actors who wish Your Party to fail, that the worst caricatures of the left can be overcome as we work together in the interest of the many, not a few."
