A SCOTTISH Green MSP launched an emotional attack on Humza Yousaf for ending the Bute House Agreement, holding back tears as she spoke live on the BBC.
In a heartfelt interview on BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime, Gillian Mackay said it was “really sad” that the governing deal between the two parties had ended – and said she knew that SNP members and ministers felt the same.
Audibly becoming tearful, Mackay told the BBC: “I'm actually quite upset. And a lot of people will have seen me being upset.
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“We’ve had two-and-a-half years, sorry, of working really well together, and it's really sad that that's all been undone by one person.
“I've got some really good friends within that government who I know are hurting as much as we are because they've been down to see us.
“And to every member of the SNP: we are sorry that this has come to an end, as I'm sure many of you are.
“We don't want to be in this position, but it's the First Minister that's put us here.”
Mackay said Yousaf, in deciding to end the deal with her Scottish Green party, had let the whole of Scotland down.
She said: “I think that this First Minister's let Scotland down.
“There was a pro-independence majority government within parliament that he's chosen to come to an end.
“We've worked really hard to get everything through in the last two-and-a-half years of the Bute House Agreement that we have, and he's taken a decision to tear that up, on no logical conclusion that any of us can find.
“I think that's a question that the First Minister has to answer because this is one of the worst pieces of political judgment I've ever seen in the history of the Scottish Parliament.”
Asked if Yousaf could say anything to change her mind, Mackay said: “Resign, is pretty much the space we are in at the moment.”
The Scottish Greens have said they will back a Tory motion of no confidence in Yousaf as First Minister, but MSP Mark Ruskell has appeared to dismiss the idea of also backing a Labour motion of no confidence in the entire government.
On Friday, one Scottish Green insider told Politico that they expected the party would eventually decide to abstain on both votes, which would allow Yousaf to survive with the support of the SNP alone.
They said: “[Abstaining] would send a message that we don’t support Yousaf anymore, without having to back the Tories or vote against our own record.”
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