Greens: New FM must have 'progressive values'
- Published
Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater spoke at the Scottish Greens' party conference
The Scottish Greens say they will quit the government if the new first minister does not share their "progressive values".
Co-leader Patrick Harvie said they were a "necessity" if the power-sharing agreement with the SNP was to continue.
Lorna Slater said a commitment to climate justice and trans rights were "non-negotiable".
Humza Yousaf is the only one of the three SNP leadership candidates who has committed to continue the agreement.
The Green politicians' comments are seen as the clearest signal yet that they would not work with Kate Forbes or Ash Regan, who are also standing to replace Nicola Sturgeon.
They spoke at their party conference in Clydebank, West Dunabrtonshire, as voting continues in the contest to succeed Ms Sturgeon. The result of that ballot will be announced on Monday.
Ms Slater, who is also co-leader of the party, said she wanted the Greens to stay in government and continue their work.
"But not at any cost," she added.
"We will only vote for the SNP's new leader to become first minister if they are committed to the politics of cooperation," she said.
"If they respect and share our values of equality and environmentalism. If they will prioritise climate justice. And if they agree that trans rights are human rights and that our trans siblings cannot be used as political fodder by Westminster.
"These are fundamental issues for us. They are non-negotiable. If the next first minister shares these values then we would not just remain in government. We should redouble our efforts to build a fairer, greener, and independent Scotland."
She said the party would put itself in the best position it could to "deliver change".
"If that is in opposition to an SNP government that has lost its way and abandoned its commitments to cooperation, equality and environmental progress then so be it," she added.
"With regret, that is where we would go. Because Scottish Greens will always work for people and for planet, and you can't do that in partnership with a first minister who has already set themselves in opposition to both."
At the Greens' conference hotel in Clydebank, there's a lot of coming and going - walkers, ice hockey players and GPs here for a conference.
That sense of movement and checking-in and checking-out chimes in with the mood.
They're at a crossroads, indeed the co-leader Patrick Harvie said the party was standing at a "major junction".
They know they could suddenly be "checking-out" out of the Scottish government; the Bute House agreement ripped up if Humza Yousaf is not first minister.
They're being very polite and not naming names on the record until voting in the SNP leadership race closes - but they've set out what they call their "progressive values" and have made it clear that Kate Forbes and Ash Regan don't share them.
On Monday, the new SNP leader will call the Green co-leaders to set out his or her plans for government shortly after being elected.
The Greens' National Council will then decide whether to continue in partnership.
Ultimately, the Greens' future in the Scottish government rests with a decision by SNP members.
Mr Yousaf is the only candidate committed to challenging Westminster's veto of gender recognition reforms passed by Holyrood.
Speaking on Saturday, he said any move away from the Bute House agreement would "destabilise" the Scottish government and maintaining the deal would be one of his first priorities as first minister.
Ms Forbes has said she is willing to work with the party, but her drive to put economic prosperity "front and centre" was "non-negotiable".
She has also said she would not have voted for the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, and has suggested she may not go to court to defend it.
Meanwhile Ash Regan has claimed the SNP is being "held hostage" by the Greens, warning about the "tail wagging the dog" on social policy - in particular the gender reforms which saw her quit government.
Nicola Sturgeon announced the SNP-Greens partnership agreement at Bute House
Mr Harvie said he wanted to be able to co-operate with the new leader.
"We need to be clear that a sincere commitment to progressive values cannot be an optional extra in a choice of a first minister; it is a necessity," he told the conference.
"And it's not just the policies and the values. It's also about the constructive way of working that's written into the Bute House Agreement - genuinely both sides seeking common ground.
"Yesterday I'm told that Kate Forbes said that she wanted to keep working with us… even though she has made it clear in a televised debate that working together simply meant us accepting her agenda… that's hardly the spirit of cooperation.
"But conference, there is so much more to what we can deliver if, and only if, we see a first minister who shares our commitment to the progressive values, the genuine spirit of cooperation, and the bold policy programme that runs through the agreement you approved."
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- Published25 March 2023
