London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Scottish Greens vote on historic government deal

Scottish Greens vote on historic government deal

The Scottish Greens are preparing to vote on a deal that could see its leaders in government for the first time.

Party members will approve or reject an agreement to join the SNP government with co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater becoming ministers.

The pair have urged supporters to take the "historic step" to bring transformational policies to Scotland.

They said it would boost Scotland's efforts on the climate crisis.

The SNP's ruling body endorsed the power-sharing agreement last weekend.

Speaking at a new solar farm at the University of Edinburgh's Easter Bush campus, Ms Slater said she did not want to pre-empt the outcome of Saturday's vote, but was "confident that the deal is the right thing for Scotland".

The newly-elected Lothian MSP told the PA news agency: "With this deal we will be able to implement things that wouldn't happen without Greens in government; things like rent controls, things like significant funding and investment for active travel in Scotland, and I want to be able to stand on doorsteps in four years and say that the Greens delivered these things."

Lorna Slater became an MSP in May's Scottish election

Urging members to support the deal at the extraordinary general meeting required by the party's constitution, Ms Slater said: "My message to them is to think about it, read it carefully and really understand what is in the deal and how influential the Greens can be as part of this deal.

"Our colleagues in New Zealand have a long experience of co-operation agreements like this and they have been able to deliver significant things for New Zealand to tackle the climate crisis and improve the quality of life of people there, and I know we can do similar things here."

"We need to go into this with a spirit of working in good faith, of good communication, of grown-up politics where we know we will disagree on some areas but we will focus on working together in those areas where we do agree."

Area of disagreement


Ms Slater cited oil and gas extraction policies as an area of disagreement between the Scottish Greens and SNP, but added: "I am very hopeful and optimistic about the change of travel that we've seen.

"When the first minister wrote to Boris Johnson the other week and asked him to reconsider the Cambo oil field, that was a significant change of direction for the Scottish government whose previous position was maximum economic extraction.

"Having Greens around has even turned the dial of that far, and I know that, by having Greens in government, we can continue to push that dial around and really tackle the climate crisis."

Mr Harvie, who has spent 18 years in opposition at Holyrood, said it felt "incredibly exciting" to be on the brink of government, but stressed that it was a decision for party members.

Patrick Harvie has spent 18 years in opposition at the Scottish Parliament

"Our members will decide whether we're going to take this historic step and put Greens into government for the first time, not just in Scotland, but in any part of the UK.

"The opportunity to do that really couldn't be more urgent right now, humanity has just been given a code red warning on the climate emergency and it's a couple of months before the climate conference comes to Glasgow, so there couldn't be a more urgent and important moment to be taking that step.

"From renewable energy, to tenants' rights, through to restoring nature, there's a huge job of work that Greens are keen to do in government."

Asked about the feedback from Scottish Green members to the deal, Mr Harvie said: "Most of the reaction within the Scottish Green Party members has been really positive and excited.

"There are understandably some questions that members want answered, and this is the biggest step that we've ever taken, a huge opportunity and - let's be honest - taking a step like this probably involves some risk as well.

"I think it involves risk for both sides. Neither the SNP nor the Greens need to do this, but we both believe that Scottish government will be better if we work together."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×