SNP should 'ditch' coalition with Greens - Neil

The Scottish Greens will hold a meeting to allow members to vote on the party's future within the Scottish government

A former SNP health minister has said the party needs to ditch its coalition deal with the Scottish Green Party.

Alex Neil said the SNP needed to "change direction" before the next General Election and would be "healthier politically" outside the coalition.

His comments come during clashes over climate change and gender policies between both parties in the power-sharing Bute House Agreement,

The Scottish Greens are to hold an extraordinary general meeting to allow members to vote on the future of the agreement.

Alex Neil, who was an SNP MSP for more than 20 years and served in cabinet for four years, told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that the coalition is doing "enormous damage" to the political standing of the SNP.

He said that it was hard to see why the Greens were still in the coalition following the announcement of the scrapping of key climate change targets last week.

"If I were a Green, I would be saying to myself what's the point of remaining in government if you can't achieve your main objective?" he said.

"The Greens seem to be dominating and the SNP seems to just be accepting anything the Greens propose, no matter how electorally unpopular it is.

"This is really bad news for the SNP and it would be much healthier politically for both parties actually if we went our own separate ways," he added.

The decision to scrap the Scottish government's climate change pledges came on the same day the NHS in Scotland paused prescribing puberty blockers to children referred by its specialist gender clinic.

The Sandyford clinic in Glasgow also said new patients aged 16 or 17 would no longer receive other hormone treatments until they were 18.

It follows a landmark review of gender services for under-18s in England.

Dr Hilary Cass's review said children had been let down by a lack of research and there was "remarkably weak" evidence on medical interventions.

Both issues are key Green policy areas.

Alex Neil was an SNP MSP for 22 years and served as health secretary in the Scottish government

Jen Bell, co-convenor of the party's LGBT arm Rainbow Greens, said recent years have seen "concession after concession" on issues like climate change and changes in gender care in Scotland.

She said the party is one of "radical internal democracy" and it will be for members to decide on the future of the Scottish Greens in government.

She said: "When we entered government for the first time in 2021, part of the co-operation agreement was a promise from the Scottish government to transform trans healthcare and the move to an affirmative model that puts trans patients at the heart of their care.

"I don’t think any of our politicians can wash their hands of the decision that has been made.

"It's the most important debate we’re going to have in the history of our entire party. I think its clear that the way things are, the status quo is not an option," she added.

Mr Neil backed the Cass findings and criticised Green co-leader Patrick Harvie's comments that he had seen "far too many criticisms" of the Cass report to consider it a valid scientific document.

Mr Neil said health ministers should "follow the science" on the issue.

"The Cass report is a scientific document, it's based on scientific evidence and yet, you have members of the Green party – including yesterday Patrick Harvie – trying to rubbish a scientific document," he said.

"The scientific evidence is absolutely clear in the Cass report - which took four years to produce by a very eminent internationally renowned scientist - and we should follow her recommendations, in my view, to the letter."

'Bread and butter issues'

Mr Neil added that the SNP should get back to "bread and butter issues" such as the cost of living crisis, improving public services, jobs, the economy and the health service.

But he stopped sort of calling for a change in the leadership of the party.

"I think we should all be concentrated on trying to win back as many supporters as we possibly can and trying to get as good a result in the general election as we possibly can as a party," he said.

"One of the ways we can change direction and send a more positive message out to our own voters is ditching our coalition with the Greens. I think that – overnight – would actually improve our situation and help us turn around the polls," he added.

'Coalition of chaos'

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy agreed with Mr Neil that the Bute House Agreement should be "ditched".

"The coalition of chaos between the SNP and the anti-growth Greens has been disastrous for Scotland - and it's high time it was ditched," the MSP said.

"The militant Greens should never have been allowed anywhere near the levers of power in the first place.

"Astonishingly, it's Green members threatening to pull the plug on the Bute House Agreement, rather than a painfully weak Humza Yousaf, who inexplicably described it as 'worth its weight in gold'.

"Apart from Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie - who owe their ministerial salaries to it - the hapless first minister must be the only person who can't see that his toxic coalition is damaging Scotland," he added.

Patrick Harvie told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show he "honestly does not know" if his party will stay in government.

First Minister Humza Yousaf said he values the Bute House agreement and does not expect it to be scrapped, although he would be prepared to lead a minority government.