HUMZA YOUSAF has said he kicked the Scottish Greens out of power because their vote on the Bute House Agreement threatened the stability of his Government.

Announcing the news at a press conference on Thursday morning, the First Minister said the agreement had “served its purpose”.

He brushed off fierce criticism from his former partners, who branded him as weak and hopeless, saying that “emotions are raw”.

The First Minister said both parties could “point to significant successes” from the Bute House Agreement.

READ MORE: LIVE: All the updates as Humza Yousaf ends Scottish Greens deal

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But he said that in “recent days” he no longer saw the “stability” that he said was the key to continuing the deal.

Speaking in Bute House earlier on Thursday, Yousaf said: “It is no longer guaranteeing a stable arrangement in Parliament, the events of recent days have made that clear, and therefore, after careful consideration, I believe that going forward it is in the best interest of the people of Scotland to pursue a different arrangement.

“That is why, following a discussion with my Cabinet this morning, I have formally notified Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater that I am terminating the Bute House Agreement with immediate effect.”

He said the day marks a “new beginning for this SNP Government”.

In a letter to Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, Yousaf wrote: "This spirit of co-operation and consensus-building is in keeping with the founding principles of our Scottish Parliament.

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"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."

In a blistering statement released shortly after she was fired from government, Slater blasted the First Minister, accusing him of "political cowardice". 

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.

“By ending the agreement in such a weak and thoroughly hopeless way, Humza Yousaf has signalled that when it comes to political co-operation, he can no longer be trusted.”

Slater accused the SNP of having “broken the bonds of trust with members of both parties” and said it had “betrayed the electorate”.

The Greens had planned to hold a vote on the future of the Bute House Agreement – which was signed when Nicola Sturgeon was first minister.

In response to the end of the powersharing deal, Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: “This chaotic and incompetent Government is falling apart before our eyes.

“Humza Yousaf is too weak to hold his own Government together and he is too weak to deliver for Scotland.”

Scottish Conservative chairman 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.

“The First Minister’s judgment is so poor that he couldn’t see what a malign influence the anti-growth Greens have been in Government and his authority so weak that he was bounced into this U-turn by his own MSPs.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the end of the agreement had left the SNP and Greens “at each others’ throats”.

He added: “They are now trying to blame each other, but in reality they have both failed the people of Scotland.”