Scottish GreensMembers of the Scottish Greens will be given a vote on whether to walk away from the Bute House Agreement (BHA) with the SNP in a move that could see the party’s leaders quit Government.
It comes after members reacted furiously to the Scottish Government ditching some of its climate targets as well as the decision by the NHS to pause the prescription of puberty blockers in Scotland for new patients.
The Rainbow Greens, which represents LGBT members of the party, called for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on the future of the cooperation agreement with the SNP.
The deal was confirmed in the summer of 2021 under Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership and support for it from Humza Yousaf has been steadfast.
On Thursday, the Rainbow Greens protested in Glasgow over the NHS decision and claimed the Scottish Government “does not care about the welfare or rights of transgender people in Scotland”.
Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slaters are ministers in the Government.
The same day the party also heard calls from members to end its partnership with the SNP following the net zero secretary’s announcement that Scotland would no longer aim to reduce carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.
Edinburgh Green councillor Chas Booth urged party leaders to think again about the powersharing deal with the SNP.
He accused the SNP of using the Greens as a “figleaf” for “woeful and inexcusable climate inaction”.
Like the Rainbow Greens, Booth also called for an EGM to be held “as soon as reasonably possible to consider withdrawing from the Bute House Agreement”.
Ellie Gomersall, former co-chair of the Greens executive committee, said: “The announcements made earlier today simply don’t make up for the destructive loss of climate targets won by young people fighting for our future.
“I was proud to vote for the BHA, but so much has changed since 2021. The SNP have played us for fools. It’s time to step away.”
The Scottish Green Party said it held a “well-attended” meeting on Thursday evening that was “oversubscribed with questions in the allotted time”.
In a statement on Friday night, Slater said she wanted to give members the opportunity to “debate and decide how the party moves forward”.
“We have achieved more for people and the planet in the past 32 months than other parties have in decades,” she added. “Now we want to hear from our members on how they want us to continue this progress.
“Our party is rich in talent and determined voices including campaigners and activists, councillors and MSPs, which is why the Tories, Labour, big polluters, greedy corporate interests and right-wing media commentators are so determined to try and have us fail.
“They fear the progress we have made on making big polluters pay, on rent protections, free bus travel for young people and record levels of spending on climate and nature, and they hate having a pro-independence majority in government at Holyrood.
“Not everything in politics is easy, as we have seen over recent years, months and days, but our strength as a green movement is in standing up against those destructive forces who would set fire to everything we have achieved if given half the chance.
“The Scottish Greens are powered by our people, and by shaping the direction we go in our members will provide that springboard needed to make the even bigger breakthroughs for people and for the planet that we so badly need.”
A spokesperson for the party said the date and time of the meeting will be confirmed in due course.
“While the EGM will focus on the Scottish Greens, co-operation agreement partners at the SNP have been informed,” they added.
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