THE Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater has responded after an SNP MSP called for the Bute House Agreement to be reviewed.
Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson, who is also the convener of the Finance Committee, said the SNP are coming off “worse” in the powersharing deal between the two parties.
Speaking to Holyrood magazine, the MSP said the deal should be reviewed although stopped short of calling for it to be halted completely.
“I think many of the things that the SNP government have been because of the Bute House Agreement – the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, the deposit return scheme and even the reduction in grants. The SNP gets the blame.
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“There was an announcement that we’re going to look at the abolition of council tax, why was that made by a junior Green minister? Why was it not made by a member of the Cabinet or even the First Minister?
“I think usually in a coalition the smaller parties tend to suffer, for example the Lib Dems when they were in with Labour, whereas in this instance, which isn’t even a full coalition, it’s the SNP that has come out of it worse.”
He also added that a “big chunk” of the SNP shares his view that the agreement should be reviewed, though some feel so “quietly”.
Slater’s response
Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Slater (below) was asked about the future of the agreement and what it might mean for her party’s “electoral future”.
She replied: “The Scottish Greens have been polling higher than ever, ever since we joined the Bute House Agreement.
“And through that agreement, where we co-operate in government, we are able to deliver so much for nature, for the environment, for active travel, for tackling child poverty, things like free bus travel for everyone under 22.
“People can see that having Greens in government, having Greens in the room where decisions are made is making a difference for Scotland.”
She added that the agreement showed two political parties “that do have substantial differences” can work together was a marker of a “different kind of politics”.
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A spokesperson for the SNP said: “SNP members voted overwhelmingly to support the Bute House Agreement in 2021, and less than a year ago they voted to elect First Minister Humza Yousaf as party leader, who stood on a platform endorsing the arrangement with the Greens, which reinforces the pro-independence majority at Holyrood.
“Support for the Bute House Agreement has delivered results such as securing a better deal for tenants, accelerating Scotland’s progress to net zero, and launching free bus travel for under 22-year-olds.”
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