SNP and Scottish Greens expected to agree power-sharing deal
Clyde 1 News understands Nicola Sturgeon's cabinet is meeting this morning.
Last updated 20th Aug 2021
The SNP and the Scottish Greens could finalise an agreement to share power in Scotland later today.
Clyde 1 News understands Nicola Sturgeon's cabinet is meeting this morning to discuss proposals with a deal on power sharing close to being agreed.
It could be the first time any of the UK's 4-nations have Green party politicians working as government ministers.
The two parties have been locked in negotiations since May, after the SNP fell one seat short of an overall majority at the Holyrood elections.
SNP MSPs met last night to discuss this co-operation arrangement which is not likely to be a full on coalition - the Greens would possibly opt out of policies they don't want to share with the SNP government.
Greens Co-leader, Patrick Harvie has already said that any agreement made as early as today would have to be approved by a vote of his party's members.
While both parties have said there will not be a formal coalition between the two, an agreement would see them work together on key issues, and could even see some Green MSPs appointed as ministers in Nicola Sturgeon's government.
On Sunday, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said the two parties had been "trying to finish off those last bits of discussion''.
A message, sent to members of the Scottish Greens earlier this month, said a New Zealand model, which has seen Green Party MPs in that country take on ministerial portfolios while not being in an official coalition, is being considered by civil servants and Government lawyers.
Opposition parties raise concerns
The Scottish Tories and Labour have raised concerns about any deal.
Scottish Tory net zero spokesman Liam Kerr said the Green manifesto from May's election was a 'doctrine to start a war on working Scotland', after it proposed a move away from North Sea oil and gas, and the end of new road-building projects.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has challenged the Greens to stand against further cuts to council budgets.
He said: "If the Greens are to be anything more than simply the SNP's lackeys, they need to rediscover their principles and fight for a greener Scotland rather than roll over to the SNP every time the going gets tough.''
A spokesman for the Scottish Greens said: "It's no surprise that parties only interested in scoring political points would be alarmed about any suggestion of co-operation in the interests of people and planet.
"People vote Green to get results, and over the last five years the Scottish Greens have achieved more from our manifesto than Labour and the Tories combined. We will continue to do that, whatever happens.''
A spokesman for the First Minister said: "Following the SNP's record landslide election win in May, the First Minister extended an open invitation to all parties to discuss areas where they thought they could work closely with the SNP in Government for the common good - in the face of the extraordinary challenges facing us such as the climate emergency and recovering from the pandemic.
"The fact that Labour and the Tories chose not to pursue that offer says far more about them than anyone else.''