Robin Harper quits Scottish Greens as party has 'lost the plot'

Robin Harper was the Green party's first UK parliamentarian

Robin Harper has resigned his life membership of the Scottish Green party as he believes it has "lost the plot".

Mr Harper, who was the UK's first Green parliamentarian, quit in a letter to co-leader Patrick Harvie obtained by the Times newspaper.

He said he was concerned by the the party's pro-independence stance and its position on transgender rights.

The Scottish Greens said independence and human rights were at the core of the party's vision.

The Greens have been in government with the SNP since signing the Bute House Agreement in 2021.

Mr Harper, 82, served as a Lothians MSP between 1999 and 2011 and was co-convener of the party from 2004-2008.

He said he had decided to stay clear of the Holyrood political scene when he left to work in the NGO environment sector.

• The two sides of Scotland's gender law debate

Describing himself as "politically left of centre" he wrote that he has been troubled by the party "moving into the gap left by the socialists".

Mr Harper said the question of independence "came into sharp focus for me" when he was invited to join the pro-UK think tank Our Scottish Future, which was started by Gordon Brown and with which Mr Harper is now active.

He added: "The video I recorded for them, which you will find online, sums up my intention to fight any attempt to needlessly destroy the United Kingdom.

"You will also be aware of my serious concerns about the way we are handling the situation with the trans community."

Mr Harper resigned in a letter to co-leader Patrick Harvie

The ex-MSP said he hoped the Scottish Parliament would return to "listening mode" when reports are published into gender services.

He added: "I believe that a complete overhaul of the way our child and adolescent mental health services are working is essential and urgent."

Mr Harper's letter continued: "My concern that the SGP's public image has been damaged by its failure to co-operate meaningfully with other interests, including the Westminster government, is reinforced by the huge number of friends, acquaintances and random contacts who have expressed to me an opinion that the Scottish Green Party has lost the plot.

"I am aware that former colleagues and friends in the SGP may be sorry - and even offended - by my decision to resign from the party and I apologise for not attempting to speak up within the party before coming to this decision.

"Nevertheless, I believe that if the Scottish Green Party wishes to retain the respect of the nation, it needs to approach its task with a more constructive mindset and a willingness to co-operate."

He added that the party was "no longer a campaigning pressure group" but rather a political party.

Future generations

As a result he warned that its elected representatives "should listen as much as they shout, or the Green agenda will not progress".

Mr Harper concludes: "It goes without saying that I remain, as I have been all my life, a passionate champion of the environment."

A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens said: "We thank Robin for what he has done both within parliament as the first ever Scottish Green MSP and outside it as a tireless advocate for the environment.

"Our party has always been committed to social and environmental justice as well as to independence. With Scottish Greens now in government, we are turning long-held policies such as free bus travel for young people, investing in restoring Scotland's natural environment, and a cap on rent rises into reality.

"This is delivering what Robin and others could only have wished for back in the early days of devolution."

The spokesperson added: "Independence and human rights, including the rights of trans people, are at the core of our vision and have been since our party was founded over 30 years ago. Our commitment to that vision has seen us achieve record result after record result in recent elections.

"The climate crisis will be the defining environmental issue for this generation and all future generations. It is only by building on this green change that we can deliver a fairer, greener and better future for Scotland."

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said Robin Harper's resignation and damning letter to Patrick Harvie should also give First Minister Humza Yousaf food for thought.

"The SNP First Minister should not continue to be in thrall to the extremist and anti-growth Greens, who he is using to help push his independence obsession rather than focusing on Scotland's real priorities," he said.