Bute House Agreement

[5] The agreement was a key part of the 2023 SNP leadership election, with candidates Kate Forbes and Ash Regan critical of it, while Humza Yousaf was supportive.

[21] Academic Professor Nicola McEwen suggested that the agreement "sometimes pushes [the SNP] further" particularly on climate, social and fair work policy.

Some commentators on the left praised the agreement for its commitments to railway decarbonisation, rent controls and a just transition fund for the North East of Scotland.

[36] The parties also agree to a 'no surprises' approach to parliamentary business, meaning they will talk to one another about what they do in the Scottish Parliament, and provides for the appointment of two Green MSPs as ministers.

[41] The agreement will see both parties pledge for an increase investment in active travel and public transport, enhancing tenants' rights, a ten-year £500m Just Transition and establishing a National Care Service.

[42][43] Housing-related measures in the agreement include the creation of a new housing regulator, greater restrictions on winter evictions and a commitment to implementing a system of rent controls by the end of 2025.

These matters (except where mentioned in the agreement) include:[46] This was illustrated in practice when the Greens opposed the Scottish Government on the establishment of freeports in Scotland, where the party's MSP Ross Greer voted against it in Committee.

Soon after the Green ministers took office, Patrick Harvie launched the Heat in Buildings strategy as well as introducing and passing the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 to aid renters.

A key issue in the following leadership campaign became around the continuation of the power-sharing agreement with the Greens, with Humza Yousaf backing it, but Kate Forbes and Ash Regan criticising it.

[68][69] At the party's spring conference, Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater declared that while they had "so much more to deliver" in government, they would not do so at "any cost".

[78][79] In April 2022, it was reported that 15 SNP MSPs who backed Forbes' leadership campaign are planning to challenge key Bute House Agreement policies.

[80][35] Former SNP Minister Fergus Ewing criticised the agreement's policies advocated from the Greens like deposit return scheme, dismissing the party as "a small group of fringe extremists".

[81] In October 2023, co-leader of the Greens, Patrick Harvie, commented that the critics of the Bute House Agreement in the SNP needed to reflect on the "toxicity" of the experience of minority government, and consider if they wished to return to it.

[75] Following the announcement by Màiri McAllan that Scotland would not see a 75% percent reduction in emissions by 2030 an extraordinary general meeting was called by Scottish Green Party members to discuss the future of the agreement.

[82] On 25 April 2024, following a meeting at Bute House, First Minister Humza Yousaf stated his intention to terminate the agreement with immediate effect.

During an Edinburgh Fringe event, Humza Yousaf admitted he "fucked up" in how he ended the agreement, saying he did so in a miscalculation as "the Greens rely so heavily on the SNP for the list vote".

[96][97][98] However, Yousaf has said that while Harvie's response to the Review did "upset a lot of people" in the SNP, it was "not necessarily" a factor in the ending the Bute House Agreement.

Following First Minister's Questions, the Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater held a press conference where in which they stated that the decision from the SNP government to terminate the Bute House Agreement was "an act of political cowardice" and "sold out for future generations" before accusing the SNP leadership of appeasing the right-wing section of the party.

[102] Douglas Ross announced to the Scottish Parliament that he had lodged a motion of no confidence in Yousaf as First Minister following the termination of the agreement, having stated that the Greens should have had no place in government.

[120] He was nominated as First Minister of Scotland by the Scottish Parliament on 7 May,[121] a day ahead of officially being appointed by the monarch, Charles III, and sworn in at the Court of Session.