Scottish government coalition between SNP and Greens collapses

The Scottish government coalition between the SNP and the Greens has officially been ended, as First Minister Humza Yousaf confirmed that the Bute House Agreement has been terminated “with immediate effect”.

The First Minster is understood to have taken the decision after calling an emergency Cabinet meeting this morning, as reported by NationalWorld’s sister site the Scotsman. Ministers gathered amid mounting pressure for the partnership arrangement with the Greens, known as the Bute House Agreement, to be scrapped. It is thought Yousaf will now attempt to run a minority government, with no overall control of Holyrood.

He told reporters at a press conference: “It is now my judgment that the balance has shifted. The Bute House Agreement was intended to provide stability to the Scottish Government, and it has made possible a number of achievements. But it has served its purpose.

“It is no longer guaranteeing a stable arrangement in Parliament. The events of recent days have made that clear. Therefore, after careful consideration, I believe going forward, it is in the best interests 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.”

The Greens had been due to hold a vote on whether to leave the agreement in the coming weeks. They were angered when the Scottish Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan announced last week the Scottish Government was to ditch a key climate change target.

That, combined with the decision to pause the use of puberty blockers for new patients attending the only Scottish gender identity clinic for children in Glasgow, resulted in the

The deal, which was signed in 2021 and is named after the official residence of the Scottish First Minister in Edinburgh, brought the Green Party into government for the first time anywhere in the UK.

It gave the SNP a majority at Holyrood when the votes of its MSPs were combined with those of the seven Greens members, and also made Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater junior ministers in the Scottish Government.

Without it the SNP would need to operate as a minority administration at Holyrood. High-profile figures in the SNP, such as former leadership candidate Kate Forbes and party stalwart Fergus Ewing, have previously called for the deal to be ended.

The Scottish Greens have accused the SNP of an “act of political cowardice” in its move to end the power-sharing agreement. Co-leader Lorna Slater 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.”