Greens claim Bute House deal ‘benefits Scotland’ on its second anniversary

Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie has insisted the powersharing deal which brought his party into Government at Holyrood “benefits Scotland”.

Mr Harvie joined Energy Secretary Neil Gray to mark the two-year anniversary of the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and Greens.

It brought the Greens into Government for the first time anywhere in the UK, with First Minister Humza Yousaf having made plain his support for the pact – despite some in the SNP speaking out against the Greens.

Mr Harvie, the zero-carbon buildings minister in the Scottish Government, insisted the Bute House Agreement is a “commitment to a constructive way of working” based on the shared aims of the two parties and the “core principles of building trust and good faith”.

He said: “Our approach to delivering a just and fair energy transition – ensuring we work across Parliament, with the sector and with communities – is a prime example of how this approach benefits Scotland.”

He was speaking as he and Mr Gray opened the new Greengairs East wind farm in North Lanarkshire, with the Scottish Government highlighting the 8% growth in renewables capacity in Scotland in the last year, saying this growth is more than 1.5 times the rate seen in the rest of the UK.

The Energy Secretary, meanwhile, stressed that delivering on climate obligations is an “absolute priority” for the Government, speaking about ministers’ “unwavering commitment to ensuring the journey to net-zero is fair and just for everyone”.

Mr Gray said: “The Bute House Agreement signalled our shared commitment to working together to build a greener, fairer and independent Scotland.

“An unstable world needs more co-operation and more constructive conversation if governments are to effectively meet the challenges they face.”

Stressing the move to renewables will boost “energy security, affordability and sustainability” in the wake of fuel price hikes triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mr Gray said the deal between the SNP and Greens sets out “a very clear direction on how it can help overcome these issues and capitalise on the enormous opportunities our energy transition presents”.

He added it is “absolutely fitting, therefore, that we are marking the second anniversary of the agreement here at the new Greengairs East wind farm”.

Mr Harvie added that the Bute House Agreement had “established a shared policy programme that has tackling the climate emergency and supporting Scotland’s renewable energy industries at its core”.

He said it is “great to see the impact that this is having” as the energy bills “crisis” has “not gone away”.

Mr Harvie added: “While the UK Government needs to take urgent action in reserved areas, over the last year we have set out a very clear pathway on how we can transition to clean, green energy, to tackle the climate crisis and to capitalise on the enormous potential we have to ensure everyone and every household in Scotland can benefit.”

But Liberal Democrat councillor Sanne Dijkstra Downie said the event marked “two years of the Green party offering up excuses for nationalist Government failures”.

The party’s net-zero spokeswoman added: “Scotland missed its climate change targets before the Greens were in Government and has carried on missing them since they joined.

“The deposit return scheme collapsed on the watch of a Green minister, while sewage dumped in Scottish rivers rose by almost a third last year.

“Green MSPs have lined up to defend policies that even some SNP backbenchers consider beyond the pale.

“The Bute House Agreement is utterly dysfunctional. If we are serious about tackling the climate emergency, we need both the UK and the Scottish governments to work together.”