Power-sharing deal between the SNP and Greens in Scotland collapses

25 April 2024, 09:56

The powersharing deal between the SNP and Scottish Greens at Holyrood has collapsed.

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf had called an emergency meeting of his Cabinet on Thursday morning amid mounting tensions between the two parties.

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater MSP accused the SNP of 'selling out future generations'.

She said: “This is an act of political cowardice by the SNP, who are selling out future generations to appease the most reactionary forces in the country.

“Voters deserve better, Scotland deserves better. Scottish Green voters certainly deserve better.

"They have broken the bonds of trust with members of both parties who have twice chosen the co-operation agreement and climate action over chaos, culture wars and division. They have betrayed the electorate.

"And by ending the agreement in such a weak and thoroughly hopeless way, Humza Yousaf has signalled that when it comes to political cooperation, he can no longer be trusted.

James Murray, Labour’s Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury told LBC News: "People in Scotland have had the SNP in Government in Scotland and the Conservatives in Government in Westminster for too long and I know when I've been knocking on doors in Scotland myself talking to voters that people feel it's time for change."

The Bute House Agreement - named after the First Minister's official residence in Edinburgh - had brought Greens into power for the first time anywhere in the UK when it was signed in 2021.

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It gave the SNP a majority at Holyrood, and made Green co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie junior ministers in the Scottish Government.

Now the deal has been ended, the SNP will be forced to operate as a minority administration at Holyrood.

The move comes after the Greens were angered when the Scottish Government was last week forced to abandon a key climate change target.

The Greens were also unhappy at the decision to pause the prescription of puberty blockers to new patients at Scotland's only gender services clinic for young people in Glasgow.

Pressure over these issues meant the Greens had planned to hold a party vote on the future of the powersharing deal - but the agreement has ended before that could take place.

High-profile figures in the SNP, such as former leadership candidate Kate Forbes and party stalwart Fergus Ewing, had previously called for the deal - signed when Nicola Sturgeon was first minister - to end.

Mr Yousaf was the only candidate in the SNP leadership contest who supported continuing the deal, and he previously hailed it as being "worth its weight in gold".

But after the Green vote on the future of the deal was announced, Mr Harvie said he "honestly" did not know if his party would back its continuation.