The Scottish Government's formal co-operation agreement with the
Scottish Green Party has ended, First Minister has confirmed.
Mr Yousaf met and this morning and, following a
meeting of the Scottish Cabinet, the First Minister informed them
formally of the end of the Bute House Agreement, and their tenure
as Ministers, with immediate effect.
The full text of the First Minister's letter:
Patrick, Lorna
I am writing to confirm the decision taken by Cabinet today to
bring the Bute House Agreement to an end. This decision is
effective immediately.
As per the terms of the Bute House Agreement, this development
also marks the end of your tenures as ministers.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your
service to the Scottish Government and for your evident
commitment to improving the lives of the Scottish people. The
Bute House Agreement delivered bold action on pressing social
issues, including securing a better deal for tenants and action
to tackle poverty and inequality. We have worked together,
too, to accelerate our transition to net zero, with a focus on
fair work, green jobs and more support for active travel and the
launch of free bus travel for under 22s.
We can all be proud of our work together to build a greener,
fairer and independent Scotland and for the role you played in
working collaboratively to find solutions for the problems
confronting the world today.
This spirit of co-operation and consensus-building is in keeping
with the founding principles of our Scottish Parliament.
Those principles will continue to guide my Government's approach
and to be innovative in the ways we serve the people of
Scotland.
The cessation of the Bute House Agreement should not be a barrier
to our parties continuing to work together to make progress on
the policies Scotland needs to thrive; not least our shared
commitment to securing independence for Scotland and to giving
people the right to choose our country's future.
Thank you once again for all you have done to deliver for the
people of Scotland. I wish you well for the future.
HUMZA YOUSAF
Notes to editors
Background
The Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party
Parliamentary Group agreed in to the Bute House Agreement in
August 2021, a shared policy programme which committed to working
together to build a green economic recovery from COVID, respond
to the climate emergency and create a fairer country.
The Agreement allows for either the First Minister or the
co-Leaders of the Scottish Green Party to bring it to an end
before the conclusion of the current Parliamentary session in
2026 by giving the other written notice to that effect.
