Scottish election 2021: 'No discussion' of coalition between SNP and Greens
- Published
Talk of a coalition with the SNP is 'purely media speculation', says Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater
There has been no discussion about a coalition between the SNP and the Greens after the Holyrood election, the Scottish Greens' co-leader has said.
Lorna Slater said there was a "huge amount of distance" between the parties on key policy areas, and dismissed the suggestions as "media speculation".
Speaking on the BBC's The Sunday Show, she said the SNP was not ambitious enough on climate change.
The SNP claims Scotland's targets are among the most ambitious in the world, external.
Ms Slater said the SNP was still talking about maximum oil and gas extraction from the North Sea.
But, she said of her party: "We are talking about actually tackling the climate emergency by driving emissions down to zero as quickly as possible and at the same time rebuilding Scotland's natural environment so that we can absorb carbon out of the atmosphere.
"We have very concrete and ambitious plans for creating jobs and reducing emissions and we just don't feel that the SNP are anything like as ambitious."
SCOTLAND ALERTS: Get extra updates on BBC election coverage
The SNP says "Scotland is leading the world on tackling the twin crises of climate change and ecological decline".
The party also says that the country has "the most ambitious legal framework for emissions reduction in the world".
The Conservatives and Labour both want to use a UN climate summit in Glasgow to champion ambitious climate change goals.
The Scottish Conservatives have recently unveiled plans to protect Scotland's natural environment. The party also says it would improve the energy efficiency of homes, schools, and hospitals, and ban the export of plastic waste to developing countries.
And Scottish Labour says it will invest in green jobs, as well as creating a national energy company to direct and invest in the growth of domestic green energy.
The Lib Dems have vowed to move one million homes to zero emission heating by 2030, and to invest in low carbon heat networks.
SCOTLAND'S ELECTION: THE BASICS
What's happening? On 6 May, people across Scotland will vote to elect 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). The party that wins the most seats will form the government. Find out more here.
What powers do they have? MSPs pass laws on aspects of life in Scotland such as health, education and transport - and have some powers over tax and welfare benefits.
Who can vote? Anyone who lives in Scotland, is registered to vote and aged 16 or over on 6 May is eligible. You can register to vote online, external.
Approach to independence
Asked how important independence was to the Greens, Ms Slater said: "Independence is one piece of the puzzle for tackling climate change and building a fairer and greener Scotland.
"Yes, of course we think independence would help us to do that - but it is only part of it.
"Nearly everything we need to do to recover from the pandemic, to create jobs, to reduce emissions, and make Scotland a really great place to live, we can start doing right away. We don't need to wait."
She added that her party's 100-page manifesto was focused on a "fair and green recovery from the pandemic", not independence.
"What we're asking for here is a referendum," she added.
Nicola Sturgeon was also asked on Sky News, external about the possibility of working with other parties after the election.
She insisted she would not work with Alex Salmond's Alba party because of "concerns about his conduct" and also because she does not agree with his approach to independence, which she thinks risks "putting people off".
She added: "I'm not interested in an arm wrestling with other people about who supports independence the most. That's a conversation with ourselves."
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PODLITICAL: Updates from the campaign