LONDON– The Scottish National Party ended its three-year power-sharing deal with the much smaller Greens on Thursday after tensions grew between the two pro-independence parties over climate change policies.
Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, informed the Greens that he would end the 2021 Bute House Agreement, signed by his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon, with immediate effect.
The move means Green co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie are no longer part of the Scottish Government and the SNP will operate as a minority administration. For legislation and the budget to be approved by Parliament, it will have to depend on the votes of other parties. Of the 129 seats in Parliament, the SNP has 63, two short of a majority, while the Greens have seven.
“It no longer guarantees a stable agreement in Parliament, the events of recent days have made this clear and therefore, after careful consideration, I believe that going forward it is in the best interest of the people of Scotland to seek a different agreement . “Yousaf said at a press conference in Edinburgh.
Relations between the SNP and the Greens have deteriorated recently, particularly in the last week after Yousaf abandoned a key target on climate change, specifically the target of reducing emissions by 75% by 2030, arguing that he was “more beyond what we can achieve.” “
Many members of the Greens were furious at the decision and a vote was planned on whether they would continue to participate in the government. Yousaf denied that he was ending the agreement to preempt a vote to end the coalition.
Green co-leader Slater accused Yousaf of an act of “political cowardice”.
“By ending the agreement in such a weak and completely desperate manner, Humza Yousaf has indicated that when it comes to political cooperation, he can no longer be trusted,” Slater said.
Slater insisted Green co-leaders were confident their members would have supported remaining in government and “continuing our work for Scotland”.
The decision to end the deal also came as the SNP was rocked by the news earlier this month that Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, has been accused of embezzlement in an investigation into the party’s finances.
Opinion polls show that the SNP, which has dominated politics in Scotland since coming to government in 2007, faces stiff opposition from the Labor Party in the run-up to the UK general election, which will take place sometime time in the coming months. . If the Labor Party can take a sizable chunk of seats in Scotland, it could well be on course for even a large majority.
The next Scottish parliamentary elections will not be held until 2026.
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This story has been corrected to show that a power-sharing agreement was entered into in 2021, not 2001, as previously stated.