Greens could beat Labour and Tories for ‘historic result’ at Holyrood – Mackay
Scottish Greens could overtake both Labour and the Conservatives and secure an “historic result” in May’s Holyrood election, co-leader Gillian Mackay said.
With less than three months to go till voters go to the polls, Scottish Greens believe the momentum is with them.
And with Labour “plunging itself into civil war” after Scottish leader Anas Sarwar called on Sir Keir Starmer to quit as Prime Minister, while the Tories are in “freefall”, she said Greens had the opportunity to “overtake the broken old Westminster parties”.
And speaking ahead of the Scottish Green conference in Glasgow on Saturday she said that the “polls show we are on route for a historic result”.
Ms Mackay added: “With Labour plunging itself into civil war and disappointing people on every front, and with the Tories in freefall, there are communities all over Scotland looking for something different.
“This can be the election where we overtake the broken old Westminster parties and provide the green change that Scotland badly needs.”
She pledged that “every vote” for her party in the May 7 Holyrood election would be “a vote to cut bills, support the many people being hammered by Westminster’s cost of living crisis and protect our planet”.
With the Greens having spent part of this Holyrood term in government with the SNP, Ms Mackay said she was “proud” of their “record of introducing free bus travel for young people, removing peak rail fares, ensuring free school meals for thousands more children and securing a system of rent controls to protect households and families across our country”.
She went on to say: “With more MSPs we can do more to put money in people’s pockets, transform our country and build the fairer, greener and independent Scotland that I know we can be.”
The Greens’ other co-leader, Ross Greer, spoke to BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme on Saturday.
Speaking about his party’s policies on tax, he said: “The top 2% of people in Scotland have more wealth than half the population, two-and-a-half million people combined.
“The idea that we cannot afford to make things better for most people in this country is a nonsense. But the only way we will do it is if we’re willing to take on the super-rich.”
Mr Greer also said his party are “unafraid to say that trans rights are human rights”.
He said: “Every single one of my trans friends has been attacked and challenged on the street because of this rising hatred.”
A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “This Holyrood election is about getting the SNP out of office and avoiding any prospect of a Bute House horror sequel featuring them and the extremist Greens.
“The best way of doing that across Scotland is by voting Scottish Conservative on your peach ballot paper in May to help stop another SNP-Green coalition spending the next five years pushing for an independence referendum.”