Summary

  • The Scottish Greens will not back First Minister Humza Yousaf in a no confidence vote which is expected to take place next week

  • Earlier today the SNP-led government scrapped its power-sharing deal with the Greens.

  • In a statement Yousaf said his party had returned to minority rule with "immediate effect"

  • Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said that the agreement's sudden end showed the Scottish government's failure to prioritise environmental issues

  • The collapse of the deal led Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross to lodge a vote of no confidence in Yousaf

  • Last week the Scottish government scrapped key climate targets and announced a pause on the prescription of puberty blockers for under-18s

  • The power-sharing deal involving the SNP and the Greens - which are both Scottish independence supporting parties - was established in August 2021 when Nicola Sturgeon was first minister

  1. Ross playing 'political games' argues Yousafpublished at 12:19 25 April

    Again the first minister goes on the attack and says the the Conservatives are being nothing if not predictable.

    Yousaf accuses Douglas Ross of playing "political games".

    He reiterates that he is proud of the SNP's record in government.

  2. Ross to lodge a vote of no confidence in Humza Yousafpublished at 12:17 25 April

    Scottish Tory leader Ross goes on to say: "I can confirm today, on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives, I am lodging a vote of no confidence in Humza Yousaf."

    Ross adds: "He is unfit for office."

  3. 'Isn't Humza Yousaf a lame duck first minister?'published at 12:15 25 April

    douglas ross

    Ross insists the power-sharing deal has ended in "chaos" and he accuses Humza Yousaf of being "tetchy".

    "Isn't Humza Yousaf a lame duck first minister?" he asks.

    Yousaf again attacks the Tory record at Wesminster and says the Tories are a party that has decided to attack the most vulnerable in our society.

  4. 'The Greens never belonged anywhere near the Scottish government'published at 12:11 25 April

    Douglas Ross tells the chamber: "The Greens never belonged anywhere near the Scottish government."

    The Scottish Tory leader asks if "Humza Yousaf panicked because the extreme Greens were about to jump before he could dump them".

    The first minister tries to focus on policies and he lists his government's achievements, including avoiding industrial action in the NHS and the council tax freeze.

    Yousaf then attacks the Tories' record in government at the UK level.

    He says he is "immensely proud" of what the SNP have achieved in government.

  5. Bute House agreement 'lasted 19 Liz Trusses' says Yousafpublished at 12:07 25 April

    humza yousaf

    The first minister replies that the Bute House agreement lasted 969 days - or to put it another way "it lasted 19 Liz Trusses'".

    Humza Yousaf details the achievements under the deal and he points out the UK government has overseen the "biggest fall in living standards on record".

    "The Tories are on the brink of an absolute and almighty thumping from the electorate," he adds.

  6. Ross says Bute House agreement has turned to dustpublished at 12:03 25 April

    Douglas Ross begins FMQs by joking he was going to ask when the cabinet last met and what issues were discussed.

    The Scottish Tory leader goes on to say the Bute House agreement has "turned to dust".

    He asks if the Greens have "finally got something right" when they called Humza Yousaf "weak".

  7. First Minister's Questions at noonpublished at 11:57 25 April

    It's been a highly-charged day so far, and we're a long way from being done.

    We'll soon bring you full coverage of what promises to be an electric session of First Minister's Questions.

    You can watch FMQs from 12:00 by clicking on the play icon at the top of this page.

  8. Watch: Labour's Jackie Baillie says ending the deal is a 'desperate act'published at 11:56 25 April

    The opposition parties haven't been slow to wade into the SNP/Greens split.

    Here is Scottish Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie.

  9. Watch: Humza Yousaf ends the SNP's deal with the Greenspublished at 11:50 25 April

    Media caption,

    Humza Yousaf ends the deal with the Greens with immediate effect

  10. Scrapping climate target still an issue for the SNPpublished at 11:47 25 April

    Kevin Keane
    BBC Scotland environment correspondent

    At the heart of the break-up between the SNP and the Greens is a decision by the Scottish government to scrap its key 2030 target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75%.

    That issue very much remains on the table and has now given SNP ministers a problem, both legally and politically.

    The climate change legislation requires the government to deliver a plan on how to meet those legally-binding targets and just a few weeks ago their independent advisers said the 2030 goal could no longer be met.

    Scrapping it was their way of complying with the law and under the Bute House agreement the Greens would have been duty bound to support the target being dropped.

    So, who do the SNP now turn to for support of the legislation which will scrap the goals?

    Not the Lib Dems or Labour who proposed and supported the 75% in the first place. And certainly not the Greens.

    So, could the SNP now have to make an unholy alliance with the Conservatives to push through the legislation which ended the power-sharing agreement?

  11. The SNP's history with majority and minority governmentspublished at 11:38 25 April

    Holyrood seats
    Image caption,

    This is how the breakdown of MSPs at Holyrood currently looks - with the SNP two short of a majority

    The SNP are now running as a minority government. This is because they don't hold more seats than all of the opposing parties combined.

    It isn't the first time for them though.

    When the SNP gained power in 2007 under Alex Salmond, they formed a minority government until 2011 when they formed Holyrood's first majority government.

    But they slipped back into a minority in 2016, and stayed there until the Bute House agreement in 2021.

    Now, they hold 63 seats in the Scottish parliament, whilst the other parties put together have 66.

  12. 'Weakness and betrayal'... the Greens aren't mincing their wordspublished at 11:31 25 April

    Kirsten Campbell
    BBC Scotland political correspondent

    The Scottish Greens are raging.

    The party’s leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater have been unceremoniously sacked from ministerial office.

    They’ve described the break-up of the partnership government with the SNP as an act of political cowardice.

    They’re not mincing their words, accusing First Minister Humza Yousaf of weakness and betraying the electorate.

    The SNP will now have to run Scotland as a minority government, seeking support from other parties to ensure legislation gets through the parliament.

    Tellingly, the Greens wouldn’t be drawn on whether they would support the government in future budget votes, asking only if journalists really expected the government still to be in power by then.

  13. Harvie questions future of SNP in powerpublished at 11:22 25 April

    In a media huddle earlier, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie was asked if the Greens will still be as co-operative with the Scottish government over things like the budget.

    He replied: “Do you think the current government will still be in place for the next budget?”

    Harvie predicted the first minister would be "shoring up support from his conservative wing and ditching the progressive policy platform he was elected on, which he continued to endorse just days ago".

    He added: "To those in the SNP who do still believe in a progressive and fairer Scotland, our door is open."

  14. What are the other political parties saying?published at 11:18 25 April

    Reaction to the scrapping of the agreement between the SNP and the Scottish Greens is coming in from Holyrood.

    Craig Hoy, Scottish Conservative chairman, says: “The collapse of this toxic coalition is an utter humiliation for Humza Yousaf, who hailed it as ‘worth its weight in gold’ and continued to back it to the hilt right until the end.

    “The first minister’s judgement is so poor that he couldn’t see what a malign influence the anti-growth Greens have been in government and his authority so weak that he was bounced into this U-turn by his own MSPs."

    Scottish Labour's Jackie Baillie said: “Humza Yousaf is too weak to hold his own government together and he is too weak to deliver for Scotland.

    “Three years into the Bute House agreement, the promises the SNP and Greens made have been torn to shreds."

  15. A defining moment for Humza Yousafpublished at 11:03 25 April

    Glenn Campbell
    BBC Scotland Political Editor

    This is a defining moment in Humza Yousaf’s leadership of the SNP and the Scottish government.

    The self-styled continuity candidate when he replaced Nicola Sturgeon a year ago has already dispensed with some parts of her agenda.

    He has now torn up one of the most significant elements of her legacy - the power-sharing agreement she struck with the Greens.

    The deal which brought Green ministers into government for the first time anywhere in the UK was designed to last until the next Scottish Parliament election in 2026.

    It has been scrapped within three years.

    The tensions between the parties were obvious and increasing not least following the recent Scottish government decision to drop some key climate change targets.

    The Greens were actually proposing to let their party membership decide whether or not to remain in government.

    Humza Yousaf has got in there first - ditching the Greens rather than allowing the Greens the chance to ditch the SNP.

  16. Is there now a question of trust?published at 11:00 25 April

    Lorna Gordon
    BBC News Scotland correspondent

    This has not been a pleasant parting of the ways.

    Some of the language used this morrning has been quite acrimonious for parties that have been in government for three years.

    Humza Yousaf has terminated the Bute House agreement with immediate affect.

    Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater has called Humza Yousaf's decision an "act of political cowardice" and that "Humza Yousaf can no longer be trusted".

    The SNP will now have to reach out to other parties as it will be running a minority government.

    This will be a more challenging time for the SNP and for their leader Humza Yousaf going forward.

  17. What did we learn from the first minister's press conference?published at 10:52 25 April

    Humza Yousaf speaking at a podium

    First Minister Humza Yousaf has just wrapped up his press conference following the announcement that he has ended the Bute House agreement.

    He gave a short speech, followed by some tough questions in a room packed with journalists.

    Here are the main points:

    • Yousaf confirmed he is terminating the Bute House agreement "with immediate effect"
    • Whilst saying he was proud of the deal and it achieved successes, Yousaf made clear it has "served its purpose" and it's in the SNP's best interest to pursue a different arrangement
    • This marks a "new beginning" for the SNP with plans to tackle child poverty, stand up for minorities, help with the cost of living, and tackle the climate crisis
    • When asked how he will handle running a minority government, he said it will be a challenge, but he has worked in a minority government before and he is ready to "step up"
    • And on why he changed his mind so quickly on the deal, after only a few days ago announcing his support for the Greens, he says he has been reflecting for "quite some time"
    • There's been speculation he was pushed into the deal. But Yousaf strongly said "I've not been pushed" when asked about this
    • The first minister also made it clear that he's here to stay - denying he is "heading for the exit door"
  18. What will losing a pro-independence majority mean?published at 10:50 25 April

    The first minister is asked what the impact of losing a pro-independence majority will be on the independence cause.

    Yousaf says the parliament still has a pro-independence majority.

    He says the SNP will "continue to work with political parties, such as the Greens, that believe as we do that this country’s best future is served as an independent nation in the European Union."

    He adds: “I look forward to continuing sharing platforms with the Greens and continuing our drive towards an independent nation.

    “So I would say to independence supporters: the SNP government will continue to be focused on ensuring the people of Scotland get a say over their own future and the challenge will be to Westminster parties over denying the people of Scotland a say in their own future.”

  19. Yousaf denies he's heading for the exit doorpublished at 10:43 25 April

    "No, this is leadership," Yousaf responds when a journalist says isn't it clear he is heading for the exit door as SNP leader.

    "This is the ability to say we are taking control as a party, and indeed as a government."

  20. Is it better to do the breaking up than be dumped?published at 10:39 25 April

    "You've said you've decided to end this," Channel 5's reporter asks, "but let's be honest - you did this to get in front of the Greens because it's better to do the breaking up than be dumped, isn't it?"

    "I wouldn't know, personally," Yousaf says with a smile, getting a laugh from the audience.

    But he continues, "I don't know which way the Green vote would've gone," but that for him he has been thinking about this for weeks - thinking about what is in the best interest of the government.

    He is the leader of the SNP, not the agreement, he says, and "I have to put my party's interest first".