What Ending The Bute House Agreement Means For Scotland’s Green Strategy
Omar Malik
04/05/24
(Image Credit: Oliver00/Shutterstock)
After the Scottish government unexpectedly ended the Bute House Agreement last week, a decision that effectively ended the SNP-Green coalition with immediate effect, many Scots will be worried about the impact this will have on the country’s environmental strategy.
The Bute House Agreement: An Overview
Back in August 2021, the SNP and the Scottish Greens entered a power-sharing agreement in order to strengthen and support the Scottish government under Nicola Sturgeon, and later, Humza Yousaf.
According to Neil McGarvey, a senior teaching fellow in politics at Strathclyde University, the Bute House Agreement was “basically a recognition that the SNP didn’t have a majority on the floor of the Scottish Parliament.”
Having enough seats at Holyrood meant that a minority government could be avoided. It was a landmark agreement, being the first of its type in the country since devolution.
The agreement was essentially a means of outlining how the Scottish government will cooperate with the Greens - which included appointing two Green MSPs as junior ministers, maintaining a collective policy platform, as well as ensuring support from the Greens regarding votes of confidence and supply.
(Patrick Harvie MSP. Image Credit: SportPix/Shutterstock)
With the agreement came a detailed policy programme, which set out exactly how much input the Greens would have over the next half a decade. Initially everything seemed to work in the SNP’s favour, with the party professing that they now had a greater chance of pushing a second independence referendum.
Fittingly, the policy programme detailed how the Scottish government will prioritise issues central to the Greens - including tackling the climate crisis, a new approach regarding the country’s energy and natural environment, in addition to pressing issues such as child poverty and economic recovery.
“It was a way of bringing what they both, at the time, described as their progressive green policy agendas together in one agreement and moving forward,” McGarvey told Blether.
Party Clashes
While the SNP has been mired in controversy and perceptions of instability as of late, the SNP-Greens pact seemed unbreakable - especially with both parties generally possessing progressive, pro-independence values.
But 18 April changed all of that. The unity between both parties disintegrated that day after the Scottish government abandoned two key elements of the Bute House Agreement - tackling climate change and protecting young trans people’s healthcare rights.
NHS Scotland announced that it would no longer prescribe puberty blockers to trans people under the age of 18. This caused uproar among Green MSPs - with the party criticising Mr Yousaf for putting trans people’s wellbeing in jeopardy.
(Image Credit: Ink Drop/Shutterstock)
This hostility was only heightened when the Scottish government announced that it would dramatically scrap its 2030 climate change targets. The prioritising of climate goals was essential to the SNP-Greens agreement.
On the sudden reversal of climate targets, McGarvey explained: “The environmental agreements were very ambitious - it was almost a recognition that they weren’t going to be achieved.”
Thus, after witnessing two announcements which fundamentally betrayed the Bute House Agreement, the Greens began plans to ask its members whether the power-sharing coalition should continue.
Ending The Bute House Agreement & The Implications Of This
But Mr Yousaf took it upon himself to make that decision, rather than wait for the Greens to decide.
On 25 April, the First Minister held an abruptly scheduled Cabinet meeting. Soon after, a press conference was rushed forward - with Mr Yousaf confirming many immediate changes to the Scottish government.
(Image Credit: Altopix/Shutterstock)
No more Bute House Agreement, a minority SNP government, and no more ministerial positions for the two appointed Green MSPs. Going forward, the Scottish government would have to rely on the support of other parties if they wanted to pass any laws at Holyrood.
It was a callous act - at least according to the Greens. The party’s co-leader Lorna Slater said that the SNP had betrayed Scotland’s future generations.
With 63 SNP MSPs at Holyrood, the Scottish government was now in a precarious position. Two more MSPs would have seen them hold a majority. But alas, they now had go directly seek out the support of other parties on a case-by-case basis.
While the SNP is no stranger to a minority government, holding one from 2007-11 and 2016-21, the party is in a noticeably weaker position compared to those eras.
Mr Yousaf pales in popularity compared to his predecessor, and despite maintaining his cool in the week leading up to the no-confidence vote, his opponents began referring to him as a ‘lame duck’ First Minister.
The SNP leader appeared almost regretful late last week regarding the circumstances behind the SNP-Greens coalition breakdown.
(Image Credit: BOY ANTHONY/Shutterstock)
Regardless, the SNP will be eager to dial back the government’s environmental policies, according to McGarvey: “The SNP administration is not going to have that same pressure from the Greens to move as fast on the green agenda, so it does change that dynamic. But the SNP will probably still profess themselves to be a green party.”
“The Greens are essentially outside the tent of government now - they’ll still be applying pressure, but obviously much less effectively,” McGarvey continued.
The First Minister, who last weekend ruled out a pact with the Alba Party, was facing two imminent no-confidence votes. But Mr Yousaf today announced his resignation after a year in power, paving a new era for Scotland.