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The agreement between the SNP and the Scottish Greens has been described as "groundbreaking" by Nicola Sturgeon.

The deal will take the Greens into government for the first time anywhere in the UK.

It includes a commitment to hold a referendum on Scottish independence within the next five years, and preferably by the end of 2023.

The agreement will see two Green MSPs appointed as junior ministers in Ms Sturgeon's government.

The Greens have signed up to the bulk of the government's policy - but there will be 10 areas where they can disagree.

Policy areas they have jointly agreed on include:

• Increase investment in active travel and public transport, with the aim of providing a "realistic and affordable" alternative to car use
• More support for the marine renewables and offshore wind sectors
• A 10-year, £500m Just Transition Fund for the north east and Moray
• Increasing the level of the Scottish Child Payment to £20 within this parliamentary term
• Investing at least £1.8bn over this parliamentary session in energy efficiency and renewable heating
• Enhancing tenants rights and delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032

Ms Sturgeon said the agreement was about "doing politics and governance better to find the solutions needed to solve the problems confronting the world today".

On a future independence referendum, she said the agreement makes it "harder, and indeed impossible, on any democratic basis for a UK government to resist the right of the Scottish people to choose their own future".

That's all from our live coverage of the SNP/Greens announcement. Thanks for joining us.

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The deal as "a disaster for Scotland", according to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

“Months have been wasted negotiating this rubber-stamp for SNP policy – meanwhile, A&E is in crisis, we are facing a growing cancer emergency, and we are still waiting for the NHS Recovery Plan," he says.

“This straitjacket deal covers all but a handful of issues, with the so-called Greens endorsing the SNP's dismal track record on everything from austerity to the environment."

He says the Greens have nodded through the "SNP’s most damaging plans", such as cuts to Scottish councils and pay rises for care workers.

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Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross described the deal as a “nationalist coalition of chaos focused on splitting up the country and dividing Scotland with another bitter referendum”.

He also criticised Nicola Sturgeon for turning to the "extremist Greens" after she failed to win a majority in the Scottish Parliament election.

“If it looks like a coalition and acts like a coalition, it’s a coalition," he said. "No amount of spin from Nicola Sturgeon and the Greens can change that.

“They will work and vote together as one nationalist government on all but a handful of issues.

Having tweeted earlier that the deal was "anti-family", he pointed out the economic impact a deal might have.

In a statement Mr Ross said: “It shows just how weak the SNP feel their case is that they’ve had to break bread with a party that is even more anti-jobs, anti-business and ideologically extreme than they are. This SNP-Green deal will punish hard-working families across Scotland, especially anyone who relies on their cars."

The power-sharing deal excludes key areas , externalwhich the parties could not reach agreement on. Here are some of the policy areas excluded from the deal and some examples where the parties have disagreed in the past:

• Aviation - The parties have not always agreed on support for the aviation industry, for example the SNP have previously supported a third runway at Heathrow and pledged to reduce air passenger duty
• GDP and growth - The parties have also had different emphasis on the economy. The Scottish Greens have rejected "the pursuit of endless economic growth", while the SNP have looked for "sustainable" growth as part of its policies.
• International relations - While there has been some agreement on Scottish influence overseas, the SNP have been committed to Scotland continuing in Nato, even after independence. The Greens have rejected this stance.
• Field sports - The Greens have advocated strengthening rules on hunting with dogs going beyond the current laws.
• Selling sex - The Greens have advocated the decriminalisation of sex work, while SNP ministers have previously described it as a form of "gender violence"
• Private schools - Greens have previously criticised private schools' status as charities, and while the SNP have backed removing tax breaks this has been delayed following the pandemic

Don't expect minds to be changed in Whitehall on indyref2published at 15:48 British Summer Time 20 August 2021

15:48 BST 20 August 2021

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Both parties have very similar policies on independence. One exception is Nato membership – which is excluded from the agreement.

The view in Bute House is that this agreement makes it harder for the UK government to reject another referendum.

Nicola Sturgeon said it made it impossible, on a democratic basis, for the prime minister to do so.

You will hear that a lot over the next few months and years; that there is a comfortable majority for indyref2.

But don’t expect that to change many minds in Whitehall. Boris Johnson is adamant another referendum shouldn’t happen any time soon – and that is unlikely to change.

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The Herald asks what the leaders think that Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross meant when he said the co-operation deal was "anti-families".

Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater says: "I think we all know what Douglas Ross is suggesting.

"The Scottish Green Party are a party that is very strong on LGBTQ+ rights and I think that what Douglas Ross has said is a dog-whistle for people who are less in favour of those rights."

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon agreed that it was a well-known dog whistle for those views, saying it was "pretty nasty".

"If Douglas Ross did not mean that then I hope he takes the opportunity to say that," she says.

"He can maybe explain what he did mean because I can think of no rational explanation for that unpleasant phrase."

Mr Ross later said what he described as a nationalist "coaltion of chaos" would punish "hard-working families".

David Bol from The Herald asks the Green leaders if they are concerned their party could be punished at the next election.

Green co-leader Lorna Slater says Greens around the world have entered government, in places like Germany and New Zealand, very successfully because they delivered for their members and for voters at large.

She says the party will demonstrate their capability.

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The Guardian's Libby Brooks asks about the Gender Recognition Bill and whether it means the government will be bringing in a "simplified process" of gender self-identification.

This is an issue which has caused divisions in the SNP but is widely supported by the Greens.

Ms Sturgeon says it is a "hotly-debated" issue but it is important we support one of the most stigmatised communities.

She says the bill will be brought before parliament at the earliest opportunity.

The first minister says the process is currently "cumbersome, lengthy and deeply traumatic".

Green co-leader Patrick Harvie says he looks forward to the bill being introduced to parliament and scrutinised in the normal way.

Greens will have to put up with a whiff of compromisepublished at 15:27 British Summer Time 20 August 2021

15:27 BST 20 August 2021

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

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Last time the Greens signed a cooperation agreement with the SNP, in 2007, they only had two seats and got a climate bill and a committee convenorship out of it.

Now having secured eight seats, they’re going into government - a reward for cementing fourth spot at Holyrood, but also a huge test.

After 14 years, the SNP are well used to the challenges and compromises inherent in government; the new Green ministers are going to have to get used to a world where pragmatism is often as important as principle, and you occasionally need to hold your nose as much as your nerve.

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Patrick Harvie is asked whether he is the new Nick Clegg, the former Lib Dem leader who went into coalition with the Conservatives, and if he has "sold out for a bit of power".

"Nick Clegg went into an election campaign telling the country 'vote for us, we're the only way to get rid of your Tory MP', and then he put those same Conservatives into power." Mr Harvie says.

"This is a fundamentally different agreement."

He says it is not a traditional coalition and they have already outlined what the two parties agree and disagree on.

"I think comparisons with the guy who now makes his money from Facebook, I don't think hold up at all."

Asked whether this was the beginning of the end of the oil and gas sector, Ms Sturgeon says: "We are in a transition away from fossil fuels, the world has to be in a transition away from fossil fuels.

"I want to see the skills, the infrastructure, the expertise that has built up over decades in the north east of Scotland and North Sea transferred to building up that same infrastructure in what we need in renewable energy."

Ms Slater adds that this can create tens of thousands of jobs in Scotland.

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Gina Davidson from The Scotsman asks if the deal was agreed unanimously when it was put before the Scottish government's Cabinet earlier today.

Ms Sturgeon says it was "and I will take the agreement to the SNP's National Executive committee tomorrow".

She says it is up to the executive how they consult on the agreement, but she expects it to be as wide as possible.

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James Matthews from Sky News asks First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to confirm "Yes or No" whether she is against development of the Cambo oil field off Shetland, as it was something members of the Greens would like to know.

Ms Sturgeon says: "I'm afraid the politics and the challenges we face demand more than simplistic yes/no answers."

She says she set out her position on the new oil field development last week.

"I think there are significant questions about whether, in the face of the Code Red climate emergency, we should be continuing with unlimited fossil fuel extraction," she says.

The first minister says the UK government should "reassess" licences to drill for oil against new climate tests.

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater praises the first minister for making a "significant" change in direction on her approach to oil and gas.

She says the Scottish government does not have the powers to stop the oil developments, but an independent Scotland would.

"This deal is about people as well as planet," says Ms Slater.

It would include tenants' rights - including rent controls to deal with the housing crisis, free bus travel for young people and a new national park.

"We are proud of this agreement," she adds, saying they would recommend it to their parties for a "greener, fairer, independent Scotland".

In response to a question from the BBC's Glenn Campbell, Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie says he is "confident and hopeful" that Greens across the country will see this as an extraordinary opportunity.

He says there will now be a week of debate in the party about the agreement.

There will then be an all-member extraordinary general meeting next weekend.

BBC Scotland political editor Glenn Campbell asks if the agreement makes an independence referendum more likely.

Ms Sturgeon says she is "determined" there will be an independence referendum in this parliament, despite the UK government saying it will not grant the powers required to hold one.

The first minister says, Covid-permitting, the referendum will be in the first half of this parliamentary term.

She says the agreement makes it "harder, and indeed impossible, on any democratic basis for a UK government to resist the right of the Scottish people to choose their own future".

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater says the climate crisis is accelerating and "we have to act now".

"With the COP26 climate conference coming to Scotland, we are in a position to show real leadership on climate. We need to cut Scotland's emissions fast," she says.

Ms Slater says this would be done by:

• Shifting transport spending to commit 10% of the transport budget to make "cycling, walking and wheeling" safe and accessible for all, and invest £5bn over this parliament to the rail network;
• Investing £2.8bn in improving homes and buildings over 10 years;
• Accelerate rollout of renewable energy and double the onshore wind industry, creating thousands of quality jobs.

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Next week Scottish Green Party members will meet to decide whether to approve the deal.

"I look forward to engaging with them in the days to come," Mr Harvie says.

"Together we can, and I believe will, make history."

Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, describes the deal as a "historic moment", as the Greens enter government for the first time in Scotland or the UK.

He says the deal will deliver a green recovery from Covid and bring a fairer, greener Scotland.

Mr Harvie points out it was not a coalition in the traditional sense but they would co-operate "for the good of the people of Scotland, our climate and the environment".

The two parties would "deal with disagreements constructively" and deliver a referendum on independence after the pandemic, he adds.

The agreement will be "scrutinised " by party members over the coming days, Ms Sturgeon says.

She says she will commend it "strongly and whole-heartedly" to them.