Bute House Agreement is OVER
The Scottish Government’s formal co-operation agreement with the Scottish Green Party has ended, First Minister Humza Yousaf has confirmed.
Mr Yousaf met Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater this morning and, following a meeting of the Scottish Cabinet, the First Minister informed them formally of the end of the Bute House Agreement, and their tenure as Ministers, with immediate effect.
The full text of the First Minister’s letter:
Patrick, Lorna
I am writing to confirm the decision taken by Cabinet today to bring the Bute House Agreement to an end. This decision is effective immediately.
As per the terms of the Bute House Agreement, this development also marks the end of your tenures as ministers.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your service to the Scottish Government and for your evident commitment to improving the lives of the Scottish people. The Bute House Agreement delivered bold action on pressing social issues, including securing a better deal for tenants and action to tackle poverty and inequality. We have worked together, too, to accelerate our transition to net zero, with a focus on fair work, green jobs and more support for active travel and the launch of free bus travel for under 22s.
We can all be proud of our work together to build a greener, fairer and independent Scotland and for the role you played in working collaboratively to find solutions for the problems confronting the world today.
This spirit of co-operation and consensus-building is in keeping with the founding principles of our Scottish Parliament. Those principles will continue to guide my Government’s approach and to be innovative in the ways we serve the people of Scotland.
The cessation of the Bute House Agreement should not be a barrier to our parties continuing to work together to make progress on the policies Scotland needs to thrive; not least our shared commitment to securing independence for Scotland and to giving people the right to choose our country’s future.
Thank you once again for all you have done to deliver for the people of Scotland. I wish you well for the future.
HUMZA YOUSAF
The Greens have called the decision to end the Bute House agreement ‘an act of political cowardice’ and have accused the First Minister of weakness.
Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater MSP accused the SNP of selling out future generations by walking away from the Bute House Agreement.
Confirming the end of the cooperation agreement 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.
“In just a few weeks’ time our own members were to have a democratic say on endorsing the co-operation agreement. We are confident they would have supported us in continuing our work for Scotland, as they have done at every turn.
“Neither they nor SNP members will have that opportunity. Instead, the most reactionary and backwards-looking forces within the First Minister’s party have forced him to do the opposite of what he himself had said was in Scotland’s best interests.
“By contrast we as co-leaders of the Scottish Greens were prepared to put our own political careers on the line with our members, to defend our achievements in government, despite enduring all that SNP backbenchers and others threw against us.
“What a pity he didn’t have the fortitude or the bravery to do the same. If they can’t stand up to members of their own party, how can anyone expect them to stand up to the UK Government at Westminster and defend the interests of Scotland?
“We want, we demand, a fairer greener Scotland. We believed the Bute House Agreement would speed up that process, only to be let down by the SNP time and time again – on council tax, on oil and gas, on 2030 and most obviously, again today.
“I appeal to those SNP members who do care about climate, trans rights, independence and our country to consider if they are in the right party for their values, or if their home should be with us as we prepare to step up our defence of the planet in opposition.
“Finally, to all those who will feel hurt and betrayed today, know this: our resolve is absolute, we will not abandon you as the SNP have, we will fight for your future with every breath we take. “
Climate campaigners have said that the end of the BHA ‘does not change the fact’ that the Scottish Government needs to get its climate plans back on track.
A Friends of the Earth Scotland spokesperson said: “The end of the Bute House Agreement does not change the fact that the First Minister must take responsibility for getting Scotland’s climate plans back on track, strengthen the desperately weak policy package offered last week and recommit to bringing down climate pollution in line with our 2030 legal targets.
“The announcement that the Scottish Government wants to scrap its critical 2030 climate target has caused huge anger and concern amongst people who, regardless of their political persuasion, clearly recognise that we need urgent action this decade.”
“The government must urgently clarify how they will deliver the vital climate legislation that will bring down pollution and improve lives through both the Circular Economy Bill and the Heat in Buildings Bill, both of which were being overseen by Green ministers.”
ALBA MSP Ash Regan commented: “48 hours ago I put a motion of no confidence in against Patrick Harvie, today the Government have agreed.
“I am glad to see the extremely unpopular politics of the Greens have been abandoned and the SNP have found a backbone.”
SNP MP Joanna Cherry has also welcomed the ‘divorce’: “If true this would be excellent news.
“The Scottish Greens have brought nothing transformative to the table on climate change that was actually viable, their science denying response to the #CassReport was disgraceful & their identity politics are toxic.
“Out with identity politics & virtue signalling, in with policies to tackle the bread & butter issues that our constituents bring up on the doorsteps.”
Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said: “The government is falling apart before our eyes.
“Humza Yousaf is too weak to hold his own government together. Three years into the Bute House Agreement the promises the SNP and Greens made have been torn to shreds.”
The Scottish Conservatives said: “The SNP-Green deal was only ever about one thing – their shared nationalist obsession.
“Humza Yousaf may have been forced to end this disastrous pact before the Greens quit but nothing will really change. He will continue to put his independence obsession above your priorities.”
Tory MSP Craig Hoy said: “The collapse of this toxic coalition is an utter humiliation for Humza Yousaf, who hailed it as ‘worth its weight in gold’ – and continued to back it to the hilt right until the end.
“It beggars belief that the Greens were invited into government in the first place.”
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