Ross Greer admits its been a 'bad week for the planet' but that Scottish Greens should be in Government

Ross Greer has said having the Greens in government is “critical to benefitting people and planet” as members of the party are set to vote on whether to walk away from the Bute House Agreement.

The MSP spoke out as the SNP and Greens joined forces at an independence rally in Glasgow on Saturday, which saw hundreds of people turn out in support.

First Minister Humza Yousaf addressed the crowd, and said he remains committed to the Bute House Agreement.

Hundreds of pro-independence supporters turned out at a march and rally in Glasgow on Saturday. STV News

However the two pro-independence parties are facing an uncertain future in government.

The Bute House Agreement, which was forged in 2021, brought ministerial roles for co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater.

However the party’s members reacted furiously to the Scottish Government ditching some of its climate targets as well as the decision by the NHS to pause the prescription of puberty blockers in Scotland for new patients.

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Climate groups describe move as the ‘worst environmental decision in the history of the Scottish Parliament’.

The Rainbow Greens, which represents LGBT members of the party, called for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on the future of the cooperation agreement with the SNP.

On Thursday, the Rainbow Greens protested in Glasgow over the NHS decision and claimed the Scottish Government “does not care about the welfare or rights of transgender people in Scotland”.

The same day the party also heard calls from members to end its partnership with the SNP following the net zero secretary’s announcement that Scotland would no longer aim to reduce carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.

Late on Friday evening, the Scottish Greens confirmed members would be given a vote on whether to walk away from the agreement.

In a statement, Slater said she wanted to give members the opportunity to “debate and decide how the party moves forward”.

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Scottish Greens to vote on whether to scrap Bute House Agreement with SNP

The vote could see Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater leave the Scottish Government.

Following the decision to hold a vote, Ross Greer said that while it had been a “bad week”, having the Greens in government is “critical”.

Greer, who was in attendance at Saturday’s independence rally, told STV News: “This was a bad week for Scotland and for the planet. The 2030 climate target isn’t going to be hit, not because of any actions that were or were not taken in the two, two and a half years since the Greens joined the Government, but the years and decades of inaction that preceded that.

“We’re going to put forward the case that Greens in government is critical to benefitting people and planet.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens said a date and time for the EGM will be confirmed in due course.

An SNP spokesperson said: “The Bute House agreement has been in place for two and a half years and has delivered a shared policy programme to face the challenges and opportunities Scotland has at a time when we are recovering from the shock of the global Covid pandemic, austerity and the cost of living crisis created by the Tories at Westminster, as well as the damaging effects of Brexit.”