If Humza Yousaf last week suffered his ‘worst week’ in office, then the same can be said this week for Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens. On Monday, it looked like his party had the upper hand on the future of the Scottish government. But today, just before an emergency 8.30 a.m Cabinet meeting, the First Minister made their decision for them and turfed the Greens out of government – marking the end of the three-year-long Bute House Agreement.
The Scottish Greens faced an almighty backlash from their grassroots membership
It’s a move that will delight a number of senior SNP figures, and possibly even some parts of the Green party’s membership too. Relations between the two pro-independence parties have been rocky for a while, following the failure of flagship Green policies like the deposit return scheme and highly protected marine areas. Yet it was the ditching of a prominent green target last week that marked the beginning of the end for the coalition.
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