SUSAN Aitken has said she would stand down as SNP group leader if her party loses control of Glasgow city council next month.

Councillor Aitken is fighting for her party to gain a second term running Scotland's largest local authority at the elections on May 5.

Should she lose, she would automatically be voted out of the role as council leader.

However, she said she would also stand down as leader of the SNP group in opposition.

"If the SNP were to lose the election and as a consequence of that I was no longer leader of the council, I would also stand down as leader of the SNP group," she said.

READ MORE: Susan Aitken: Labour are very foolish to rule out a deal with the SNP

"Because at that point clearly, the group would need the opportunity to have a fresh start and to rebuild, and I think new leadership would be important in that respect. I am confident that I have colleagues who have more than have the capacity and ability to take on that role."

Her position is in contrast to that of Frank McAveety, former Labour leader of Glasgow city council, who carried on in the role of group leader of his party in opposition until July 2020.

Councillor Aitken referred to Councillor's McAveety continuing in the role after his party's defeat.

"If we are not re-elected as the largest party I will be sorrow, I will be disappointed, I will take responsibility, and I will undoubtedly stand down.

"I certainly would not want to repeat the example of a previous leader of the council who hung about having lost the election, but I will do so with my head held high," said Councillor Aitken.

READ MORE:  Edinburgh to bring in tourist tax if SNP win council election on May 5

Labour had been in power in the city chambers for almost 40 years and the defeat in 2017 was a huge blow to the party.

Councillor Aitken has run the country's largest local authority as a minority administration mostly relying on support from the Greens to get key policies and financial plans passed.At the weekend she said she would be interested in a more formal arrangement with the Scottish Greens.

And in an interview with the Herald, she raised the possibility of the SNP working with Labour in a coalition, though she pointed out that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar had ruled out that arrangement, and that it was less likely than a SNP/Green deal.

Asked whether she would be open to working with Labour in a coalition, she said: "We would be open to having discussions. I think it is less likely I've got to say [than one with the Greens].

"Anas Sarwar has said Labour won't do any deals with the SNP. I think that is very foolish I've got to say."

READ MORE: Low pay, over work and tribal politics - why some councillors bow out

She added: "There are some pretty well functioning SNP and Labour administrations, Edinburgh, East Renfrewshire, Stirling, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife. There's quite a few of them."

She was asked if she would prefer a coalition deal with Labour or the Greens.

"I think it is a bit early to say. But what I would say is that we have worked with all parties in the council on a vote by vote basis. We have lost very few votes over the past five years," she said.

"And it is because we have worked to build consensus and to build a coalition around our programme and our policies because we think they are the right things for the city and we have largely been able to do that our working relationship with the Greens on the budgets, particularly the past three budgets we have done has been very constructive.

"It's been very mature. It's not that we don't have areas of disagreement. We do but we've worked through those for the good of the city.

"I think we would be more than happy to continue to have those conversations with our Green colleagues. 

"If our Labour colleagues were up for something constructive, mature conversations about how we move forward for the good of the city, then we would be happy to have those conversations with them too. Whether they are in that space or not, I'm not sure. It's up to them."

She added: "An SNP Labour coalition in deal would be pretty unlikely, but I wouldn't rule anything out.

"Mature and constructive joint working, we are always up for. And we would talk to Labour if they were up for talking to us in constructive way. I wouldn't rule anything out. But we are campaigning to win."

According to a poll published last week, the SNP are on track for a record result with the forecast suggesting Nicola Sturgeon’s party are on course to win the backing of 44 per cent of first preference votes, up from 32% in 2017.  

This is almost double those who said they would back Scottish Labour, who are predicted to attract the second-largest share of first preference votes.  

According to the Survation poll for Ballot Box Scotland, 23% would back Anas Sarwar’s party, 18% the Conservatives, 6% the Lib Dems, 3% the Greens. 

The SNP won 39 seats in Glasgow in 2017 with Labour taking 31.

In order to govern as a majority, any party needs 43 seats.

Asked about a winning a majority, Councillor Aitken said: "It is very very difficult under STV. It would be great, but very difficult under STV in many ways it is designed to avoid majorities and to create either coalitions or minorities.

"What I would say is that although having been a minority administration has been very very challenging, we have actually done it very well.

"We have been able to deliver the vast majority of what we want to deliver."

Labour group leader on Glasgow city council Councillor Malcolm Cunning said it believed it was "perfectly feasible" that Labour could become the largest party. 

"If we end up as the largest party, certainly we will be entering discussions with others to see what could be done in order that we can run the administration," he said.

However, he ruled out a coalition with the SNP and the Tories.

Councillor Cunning added that there was no mood or appetite for Councillor McAveety to stand down from the Labour group leader role following the party's defeat and it was his own decision to step down in July 2020.