The co-leader of the Scottish Greens has said she hopes her party can continue to work with the SNP when it elects its new leader.
Lorna Slater, whose party is in a power-sharing agreement with the SNP, told Sophy Ridge on Sunday the relationship had been “really productive” for Scotland.
However, there is some uncertainty hanging over the arrangement following Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation as Scotland’s first minister and the subsequent race to replace her.
Scottish finance secretary Kate Forbes, health secretary Humza Yousaf and former communities safety minister Ash Regan are all vying for the top job, with the winner crowned on Monday.
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Asked by Sophy Ridge what result she was hoping for when the new leader is confirmed, Ms Slater replied: “What I’m hoping is that the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Government can continue to work together.
“I think that’s been a really productive relationship, I think Scotland is better for it, our environment is better for it, bringing those sort of progressive values, concrete things that make people’s lives better.”
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Ms Slater said the deal between the Greens and SNP hinged on the Bute House agreement – a “progressive” policy programme that earned its name after the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh.
A crucial plank of the Bute House agreement is the Scottish government’s gender recognition bill, which would make it easier for transgender people to legally change their gender and lower the age at which they can begin the process to 16.
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The bill ran into difficulty after the UK government blocked it from becoming law under a Section 35 order – something Ms Sturgeon said was a “full frontal attack” on the Scottish parliament.
Of the three candidates vying to replace Ms Sturgeon, only Mr Yousaf has given his full backing to the bill and commitment to challenge the UK government in court.
However, he recently clarified he would only proceed with the case if legal advice suggested it would be successful.
Ms Forbes – who has faced heavy criticism for some of her religious views – has previously said she would not have supported the bill in its current form had she been in Holyrood at the time it was voted through and not on maternity leave.
Ash Regan, the third contender in the leadership race, resigned from her position as communities safety minister in opposition to the bill.
Pressed on whether the Greens had any policy red lines that could see its arrangement with the SNP terminated, Ms Slater told the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: “Well, the Scottish Greens joined the Scottish government on the basis of an agreement called the Bute House Agreement and there are 50 pages of policy.
“Within there is things like commitment to gender recognition reform, commitment to tackling the climate crisis, commitment to creating highly protected marine areas for example and we consider that a package of measures.
“The Greens serve in government on the basis of that agreement so any new leader of the SNP must be committed to that agreement as a whole for us to be able to continue to work together.”
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In an interview with Sky News last week, Ms Sturgeon admitted to political editor Beth Rigby that the contest to succeed her had been “a less than edifying process” as she urged her colleagues to “protect the ingredients of success”.
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Ms Sturgeon urged those vying to replace her “not to throw the baby out with the bathwater” following criticism of the candidates and a significant fall in paid-up support, with the loss of about 30,000 members since 2021.
In her last appearance at First Minister’s Questions, Ms Sturgeon said it had been the “privilege” of her lifetime to serve in the top role.
The outgoing first minister also urged her next successor not to “shy away” from the “big challenges”.
“Never forget that everything in this office is an opportunity to make something better for someone somewhere in Scotland,” she said.
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“Do not shy away from the big challenges that are difficult. You won’t get everything right. But it is always better to try to aim high and fall short than to not try at all.”
