The SNP’s power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party has been scrapped in an emergency cabinet meeting. Scottish Greens co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie were seen walking out of Bute House before the meeting officially began at 08:30.
It follows criticism of the government’s decision to scrap key climate targets and its response to a review into gender services. The BBC understands that the SNP will now form a minority government.
Last week the Scottish Greens confirmed that members would vote on whether the party should remain in power with the SNP. Patrick Harvie had said issues had “come to a head” with party members calling for a debate on how to move forward.
It came after the SNP’s Energy Secretary Mairi McAllan announced that Scotland’s 2030 net-zero target was out of reach.
Scotland’s NHS also said it was pausing prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s referred by the country’s only specialist clinic following a report by Dr Hilary Cass.Mr Harvie has said he would quit as co-leader if the Greens vote to end the coalition with the SNP. The first minister previously said he valued the power-sharing deal – known as the Bute House agreement – and does not expect it to be scrapped.
But he indicated that his party members would not be getting another vote on the issue, despite calls from senior SNP figures such as Kate Forbes.
The cabinet is the main decision-making body of the Scottish government. It is made up of the first minister and all cabinet secretaries. Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie called the government “chaotic and incompetent”, adding the collapse of the agreement had been inevitable.
She said: “Three years into the Bute House Agreement the promises the SNP and Greens made have been torn to shreds. None of this changes the fact that it is SNP failures that have left Scots with higher bills, higher taxes, fewer jobs and a health care service on the brink.
A press conference at Bute House to explain developments is expected within the next hour or so. We are expecting that to confirm that the power-sharing agreement has been brought to an end.
We understand there had been some pressure on First Minister Humza Yousaf from members of his own party to pull out of that agreement with the Greens and that would leave the SNP running a minority government in Holyrood.
It will certainly be a lot harder for the SNP to push forward with their agenda in government without the Greens in that formal cooperation agreement.
Source: BBC
