THE Scottish Greens’ co-leaders will fill the two ministerial roles handed to the party by the deal with the SNP, according to reports.
Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater are expected to take on positions dealing with environment and social justice policy, the BBC has said.
The roles, which will be confirmed by Nicola Sturgeon assuming the deal passes a vote of Green members on Saturday August 28, will see the two MSPs work across several departments.
They will not serve in the Cabinet, but the Green-SNP deal says the co-leaders will be invited to attend at least twice a year.
READ MORE: Indyref2 listed as first priority in SNP-Scottish Greens co-operation deal
The co-leaders could expect to earn an extra £30,000 a year each on top of their MSP salaries.
The positions Harvie and Slater take are expected to be new, so no current SNP ministers will have to be dropped to make room for them.
The Greens have now officially announced the news.
Harvie, who has been in the Scottish Parliament since 2003, said: “With Greens in government we would be able to deliver positive change like tackling Scotland’s emissions, protecting nature, advancing tenants’ rights.
“Bringing forward overdue equalities legislation and delivering an independence referendum.
“I am proud of our vibrant party democracy and look forward to discussing and debating this deal with members on Saturday and if they back it, they can be assured that we’ll waste no time getting to work to deliver on this transformative agenda.”
Slater (above), who was elected for the first time in May, said: “The time has come for Scotland to step up efforts to decarbonise our economy and invest in a greener, independent future.
“The co-operation agreement we’ve negotiated would put Greens at the heart of decision making at this crucial time and if our members endorse it then I look forward to driving change in Government.”
The pair will be the first Greens to enter government in UK political history.
The deal’s only remaining hurdle comes on Saturday, when Green members are given the final say. The party’s internal rules state that if the membership rejects the agreement, it cannot go ahead.
The Scottish Conservatives have again voiced their opposition to the deal, describing the Green co-leaders as “extremists”.
Tory Covid recovery spokesman Murdo Fraser said: “Nicola Sturgeon is handing extremists key positions in Government. The more details that emerge, the worse this nationalist coalition of chaos looks for hardworking families and workers across Scotland."
The news comes as Nicola Sturgeon wrote to SNP members urging them to “cement” Holyrood’s pro-independence majority and support a deal with the Greens.
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