The Glasgow Guardian Politics team sat down with classmate and Green Party candidate for the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections, Iris Duane.
With new constituency boundaries coming into force ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, Iris Duane is contesting the newly created Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill seat for the Scottish Greens. Duane is no stranger to the campaign trail. She previously stood in the 2024 general election for Glasgow North, an effort that ended in defeat but gave her valuable insights into the demands of a city-wide campaign.
The redrawn boundaries merge communities around the University of Glasgow with post-industrial neighbourhoods, creating a constituency marked by huge socio-economic disparity: Glasgow’s wealthiest living side by side with the poorest, and thousands of students in between. Commenting on how she intends to represent such a diverse constituency, Duane points to universities as institutions with influence extending beyond academic provision into housing and local infrastructure. The situation has improved slightly since the crisis in student housing provision in 2022, but living near campus is still unaffordable to most. “The University [of Glasgow] should be doing more,” she argues, advocating for increased purpose-built student accommodation as a means of easing pressure on students: “I am a socialist – I believe in controlling rent prices. I am proud of my party for passing the rent control bill”.
For Duane, her candidacy and her alignment with the Scottish Green Party are both personal and political, shaped by her experiences. “Categorically, I do not believe that if I was 18 years old right now, I could come to university, given how inaccessible it is,” she explains, referencing the barriers faced by working-class students. Duane opened up about her working class background and how it shaped her politics. Her Mum worked multiple jobs whilst raising her in West Yorkshire, attending sixth form college in Ashton-Under-Lyne. “I moved to Glasgow with my best friend and fell in love with the city” and now, despite her strong northern English accent, she feels part of the city and focused on Scotland’s needs.
The campaign so far has also exposed her to the harsher realities of life in the public eye. She has experienced a torrent of online abuse. Much of this hostility has been directed at her visibility as a young trans woman of colour. Rather than retreating, Duane openly acknowledges that it will get worse, win or lose. This is the bleak reality for any young woman in politics, exposing yourself to the ugliest trolls that exist online. When asked whether this hostility ever makes her fearful, she is unequivocal: “I refuse to be scared.”
She radiates confidence and the sparky energy you wouldn’t maybe expect from someone working full-time, studying and running for parliament. Already talking like a seasoned politician, her strategy is a relentless on the ground campaign that focuses on issues for the working class in the constituency. At one point, when talking about energy bills, she states that “people can’t afford to turn the heating on”, then jokingly points at herself. This is a Mamdani-style focus on affordability, with real relatability. At the centre of this is basic socialist messaging: “ everyone should have a comfortable existence”. But she doesn’t believe in incrementalist politics and instead wants to relentlessly lobby for more radical solutions, even if this is aimed at her own party.
We wanted to get her take on the Greens more specifically. Why then is she standing for a party that has propped up successive years of SNP governance, failing to deliver on key promises and literally relying on incrementalism to get through its policies? Her response is that she is the Greens candidate but “not a party stooge” and is ready to stand up to her party when she thinks it’s right. Was she tempted to defect to “Your Party” as several Green councillors already have? For now, she’s staying Green but adds, “I still think Your Party has an opportunity, I want us to work together”. She believes in leftists of all stripes working together, a difficult task when Your Party still seems to be only half-baked and without firm leadership. It’s obvious that there’s little party political love from Duane, hers is a passion for the fight – the Greens in Scotland are the obvious steady ship for anyone seriously left wing but still seeking parliamentary representation. Duane could in fact represent a key youthful voice for the left of the party – keeping up the pressure and pushing back against any future policy compromises. She points to tangible examples of Green influence in Scotland, praising the party’s free bus travel scheme for under 22s in England and highlighting the forthcoming seven-week free public transport pilot scheduled from February to March 2026 – an initiative tabled by the Greens. For Duane, these policies demonstrate a model of politics that links climate commitments with everyday affordability. It is clear she is positioning herself to resonate with the student body, advocating for environmental action tied directly to social mobility.
Her trajectory is reflective of Scotland’s former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. Similar to Duane, Sturgeon first ran for parliament aged 21 – the same year she graduated from the University of Glasgow. Between writing a dissertation and relentless door-knocking ahead of the May vote, her schedule would test even some veteran politicians. But being busy doesn’t seem to phase Iris. If successful, she’ll be the first trans woman ever elected to the Scottish parliament. Whether this election proves to be her breakthrough or simply the beginning, it is clear she is positioning herself for the long haul.
Duane is entering a tightly contested electoral field. Polling from Ballot Box Scotland projects the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) leading the constituency with 32%, followed by the Scottish Greens at 22.9%, while Labour trails closely behind at 20.1%. With the election fast approaching, the constituency remains highly competitive. As campaigning intensifies in the lead-up to May, the question remains whether Duane can translate her message of representation, accessibility, and structural reform into meaningful momentum. And ultimately, whether this newly reconfigured constituency is ready to embrace her.
Photo Credits: Iris Duane
Vying to make history: Meet the fourth- year candidate for parliament
The Glasgow Guardian Politics team sat down with classmate and Green Party candidate for the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections, Iris Duane.
With new constituency boundaries coming into force ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, Iris Duane is contesting the newly created Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill seat for the Scottish Greens. Duane is no stranger to the campaign trail. She previously stood in the 2024 general election for Glasgow North, an effort that ended in defeat but gave her valuable insights into the demands of a city-wide campaign.
The redrawn boundaries merge communities around the University of Glasgow with post-industrial neighbourhoods, creating a constituency marked by huge socio-economic disparity: Glasgow’s wealthiest living side by side with the poorest, and thousands of students in between. Commenting on how she intends to represent such a diverse constituency, Duane points to universities as institutions with influence extending beyond academic provision into housing and local infrastructure. The situation has improved slightly since the crisis in student housing provision in 2022, but living near campus is still unaffordable to most. “The University [of Glasgow] should be doing more,” she argues, advocating for increased purpose-built student accommodation as a means of easing pressure on students: “I am a socialist – I believe in controlling rent prices. I am proud of my party for passing the rent control bill”.
For Duane, her candidacy and her alignment with the Scottish Green Party are both personal and political, shaped by her experiences. “Categorically, I do not believe that if I was 18 years old right now, I could come to university, given how inaccessible it is,” she explains, referencing the barriers faced by working-class students. Duane opened up about her working class background and how it shaped her politics. Her Mum worked multiple jobs whilst raising her in West Yorkshire, attending sixth form college in Ashton-Under-Lyne. “I moved to Glasgow with my best friend and fell in love with the city” and now, despite her strong northern English accent, she feels part of the city and focused on Scotland’s needs.
The campaign so far has also exposed her to the harsher realities of life in the public eye. She has experienced a torrent of online abuse. Much of this hostility has been directed at her visibility as a young trans woman of colour. Rather than retreating, Duane openly acknowledges that it will get worse, win or lose. This is the bleak reality for any young woman in politics, exposing yourself to the ugliest trolls that exist online. When asked whether this hostility ever makes her fearful, she is unequivocal: “I refuse to be scared.”
She radiates confidence and the sparky energy you wouldn’t maybe expect from someone working full-time, studying and running for parliament. Already talking like a seasoned politician, her strategy is a relentless on the ground campaign that focuses on issues for the working class in the constituency. At one point, when talking about energy bills, she states that “people can’t afford to turn the heating on”, then jokingly points at herself. This is a Mamdani-style focus on affordability, with real relatability. At the centre of this is basic socialist messaging: “ everyone should have a comfortable existence”. But she doesn’t believe in incrementalist politics and instead wants to relentlessly lobby for more radical solutions, even if this is aimed at her own party.
We wanted to get her take on the Greens more specifically. Why then is she standing for a party that has propped up successive years of SNP governance, failing to deliver on key promises and literally relying on incrementalism to get through its policies? Her response is that she is the Greens candidate but “not a party stooge” and is ready to stand up to her party when she thinks it’s right. Was she tempted to defect to “Your Party” as several Green councillors already have? For now, she’s staying Green but adds, “I still think Your Party has an opportunity, I want us to work together”. She believes in leftists of all stripes working together, a difficult task when Your Party still seems to be only half-baked and without firm leadership. It’s obvious that there’s little party political love from Duane, hers is a passion for the fight – the Greens in Scotland are the obvious steady ship for anyone seriously left wing but still seeking parliamentary representation. Duane could in fact represent a key youthful voice for the left of the party – keeping up the pressure and pushing back against any future policy compromises. She points to tangible examples of Green influence in Scotland, praising the party’s free bus travel scheme for under 22s in England and highlighting the forthcoming seven-week free public transport pilot scheduled from February to March 2026 – an initiative tabled by the Greens. For Duane, these policies demonstrate a model of politics that links climate commitments with everyday affordability. It is clear she is positioning herself to resonate with the student body, advocating for environmental action tied directly to social mobility.
Her trajectory is reflective of Scotland’s former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. Similar to Duane, Sturgeon first ran for parliament aged 21 – the same year she graduated from the University of Glasgow. Between writing a dissertation and relentless door-knocking ahead of the May vote, her schedule would test even some veteran politicians. But being busy doesn’t seem to phase Iris. If successful, she’ll be the first trans woman ever elected to the Scottish parliament. Whether this election proves to be her breakthrough or simply the beginning, it is clear she is positioning herself for the long haul.
Duane is entering a tightly contested electoral field. Polling from Ballot Box Scotland projects the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) leading the constituency with 32%, followed by the Scottish Greens at 22.9%, while Labour trails closely behind at 20.1%. With the election fast approaching, the constituency remains highly competitive. As campaigning intensifies in the lead-up to May, the question remains whether Duane can translate her message of representation, accessibility, and structural reform into meaningful momentum. And ultimately, whether this newly reconfigured constituency is ready to embrace her.
Photo Credits: Iris Duane
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