Bute House Agreement: SNP figures pressure Humza Yousaf to rethink Bute House deal with Greens

Green members have forced a vote on whether Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater’s party should continue in government with the SNP after a backlash sparked by the Scottish Government scrapping its 2030 legally-binding climate target to cut emissions by 75 per cent and a perceived rollback of gender identity services.

The Green member unrest with their party leadership backing the climate U-turn could topple the co-operation agreement between the two parties of government. But SNP backbenchers have told The Scotsman those in the party who have long been calling for the ties to be cut with their partners are worried the stand-off is weakening the authority of their party and elevating the Greens.

Some SNP backbenchers are furious with Mr Harvie’s response on the Cass Review into gender identity services in England after the Greens minister told the BBC he had seen "far too many criticisms" to consider the report a valid scientific document.

The Scottish Government has been attacked by those who have been critical of gender identity services for not immediately accepting the findings of the Cass review, with ministers stressing they will take time to examine the conclusions, which were drawn up for NHS England. But some Greens, including Mr Harvie and Ross Greer, have been critical of the study.

Prominent members of the SNP are now calling for their party to revisit the Bute House Agreement.

One SNP MSP told The Scotsman “those on the ‘questioning’ side” of the Bute House Agreement “see recent statements by [Mr] Harvie as embarrassing”, adding it was “not the behaviour you would expect from a Scottish Government minister” and was “more akin to a student politician”.

The MSP warned that if things continue, Mr Harvie “will embarrass the SNP, embolden the Greens and weaken the SNP”. They added: “It does feel like we are the weak party here.”

The backbencher said SNP hierarchy “does not want to have any chat about the ‘worth-their-weight-in-gold’ Greens”, adding “there is a growing group that does”.

The MSP said “they will try to duck, ignore, divert”, but warned there was “a law of diminishing returns”.

Outspoken SNP MSP Fergus Ewing told The Scotsman “the Green deal is deeply damaging to the SNP”.

He said “the dud, dire, damaging policies have come from or been pressed by the Greens”, pointing to the deposit return scheme, plans for highly protected marina areas, gender reform and plans to decarbonise buildings.

Mr Ewing said: “Given the Greens are having a vote on the Bute House Agreement, isn’t it time – after two years of this failed experiment – that Humza allowed one? Or is he scared of the likely result.”

It comes after SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who voted in favour of the Bute House Agreement in 2021, called for her party to rip up the deal.

Again criticising the Greens’ comments on the Cass Review, Ms Cherry accused her party’s government partners of trying to “misrepresent” the study. She said “the SNP should end the Bute House Agreement now without further delay”.

Writing on X, Ms Cherry said: “SNP members should get a second vote on the Bute House Agreement. If we are to recover as a party from current challenges, we need to address problems like this alliance with a deeply unpopular party on the doorsteps rather than sweeping them under the carpet as per previous practice.”

Former MSP and government minister Alex Neil, who served in both Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond’s Cabinets, said the SNP and the Scottish Greens should go their “own separate ways”, claiming voters thought the SNP had “lost the plot a bit”.

The SNP unrest comes amid further disdain from Green members over their side of the deal in co-operation.

On Monday, Ryan Donachie announced he had quit his position as co-convener of the Rainbow Greens, the party’s LGBT+ wing, citing “personal” reasons “relating to health issues”.

But over the weekend, Mr Donachie accused Mr Harvie and Ms Slater of “a deafening silence” over the unrest, highlighting some members were left upset with a decision by NHS Scotland to pause puberty blockers at the Sandyford clinic for young people’s gender identity services. The Scotsman also revealed last week that funding for improving the services had been delayed by the Scottish Government.

Mr Donachie said: “I have been a strong supporter and advocate for the Bute House Agreement since joining the Scottish Green party three years ago, and I have continued to be vocal in that support until this week. I am now clear that our 'partners' in government are content in allowing us to suffer the full impact of decisions and actions that they have taken.”

He said he had “watched the Scottish Government bin some of our most progressive and hard fought policies”, including “progressing gender recognition, improving gender affirming care and a complete ban on conversion practices”.

Mr Donachie said: “The final straw for me was the announcement of NHS Scotland, relating to endocrine treatment for young people, followed by the change in funding agreement for Sandyford gender services. It's absolutely clear now that our Government partners are not going to progress these areas, which need urgent reform.”

Jen Bell, fellow co-convener of the Rainbow Greens, said the Bute House Agreement could not continue as it was.

“This is a culmination of issues – we are seeing concession after concession on issues that matter to us, like scrapping climate targets and the attacks on gender-affirming care,” Ms Bell told the BBC. “We’ve got to the point where we, as a party, need to have a serious discussion about the Bute House Agreement.”

She said when the Bute House Agreement was signed in 2021, there was a promise to “transform” trans healthcare. But she claimed the opposite had in fact happened.

Ms Slater insisted while the decision was up to party members, the Greens could achieve more in government.

She said: “There have been frustrations and anger in the last few weeks and there is fear in Scotland not meeting its 2030 climate targets. But we have brought in a ban on new incinerators, banned single-use plastics, protected budgets for NatureScot, put in funding for nature restoration and improved recycling, and brought in an emergency rent freeze.

“We have much more influence in government when we are in the room. In opposition, we would be looking at legislation being watered down and government not being as strong on things that are supported by the Scottish Greens. I don’t know if that’s where our members want to go.”