SNP cannot rely on Green votes in parliament
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said the SNP cannot rely on Green votes in parliament after crashing the Bute House Agreement.
In a press conference earlier today, the First Minister said he would “look forward to continuing to co-operate with [the Scottish Greens] on an issue by issue basis.”
But Mr Harvie has said First Minister has succumbed to right-wing forces in his party, and is more likely to find support there than from the Greens.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions today, Patrick Harvie said,
“Who does the First minister think he has pleased most today, Douglas Ross, Fergus Ewing or Alex Salmond? And which of them does he think he can rely on for a majority in Parliament now?”
Commenting afterwards, he continued,
“The issues which matter to the Scottish Greens were core to the Bute House Agreement. Ramping up climate action, standing up for tenants rights, and protecting the most vulnerable people in society. We were committed to making a difference on these, day in day out, as part of the Scottish Government.
Instead, Humza Yousaf has chosen to rely on social conservatives and the right wing of his party to run a minority government.
That has significant consequences for how the Scottish Greens position ourselves in parliament, and the First Minister cannot rely on Green support while being dictated to by forces on the right.
We remain committed to collaborative politics - Scotland deserves a Government that’s willing to cooperate, in the best interest of our country and of future generations. But you can’t rip up the most progressive co-operation deal in the history of this parliament and expect business to continue as usual.”