PATRICK Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, has said the Bute House Agreement will “clearly” come to an end if the new leader of the SNP wishes to renege on any part of the deal.
But what is the Bute House Agreement – and what will it mean for Scotland if it comes to an end?
What is the Bute House Agreement?
In August 2021, members of both the SNP and the Scottish Greens voted overwhelmingly to accept the terms of a cooperation agreement which saw the Greens backing the SNP-led Scottish Government on the bulk of its policies.
These agreed upon areas included a second referendum on Scottish independence before 2026, reforming the process of gender recognition, enhancing tenants' rights, and increasing investment in public transport.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon: I'll never reveal who I voted for to lead SNP
It saw both Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater enter Government as junior ministers – the first time politicians from the Greens gained ministerial portfolios anywhere in the UK.
At the time, Nicola Sturgeon described it as “groundbreaking” and said it was about “doing politics and governance better”.
However, the Greens reserved the right to criticise the Government on certain issues such as aviation policy, GDP growth and membership of NATO.
What has it achieved?
As well as the doubling of the Scottish Child Payment, the agreement has also led to free bus travel for under-22s and the passing of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill - which was subsequently blocked from becoming law by the UK Government.
The upcoming Deposit Return Scheme and the potential rollout of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) are also policy areas being supported by the Scottish Greens as part of the Bute House Agreement.
What happens if it ends?
The agreement contains a mechanism to review its terms, which Harvie has said would allow his party to re-evaluate its contents and potentially make changes depending on who becomes the next leader of the SNP.
If the agreement is officially ended it would mean the SNP becoming a minority government, having to rely upon support from other parties on an individual basis to pass legislation.
While both Forbes and Regan have said they are not afraid of the prospect of being in a minority government, Yousaf appeared to express apprehension at the possibility during one of his last campaign events in Dundee on Saturday.
He said: “I would say to anybody who ends up being the next leader of the SNP, you have to find a way of cooperating with the Greens.
“If you don’t, you end up not just a minority government, but I have to say, one of the most toxic parliaments I’ve ever been in, in terms of, I’m afraid, the opposition who will not look to cooperate with the SNP very often.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here