Greens need ‘most effective’ Holyrood campaign to counter Reform, says Greer

Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer said his party has to run its “biggest and most effective” Holyrood election campaign ever in a bid to counter the rising popularity of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Reform currently has just one MSP at Holyrood, who defected from the Tories, but polling ahead of next May’s Scottish election suggests the party could return a sizeable group – with some polls even showing Mr Farage’s party in second place.

Mr Greer said he is focused on “defeating the really hateful politics that are going to arrive in this Parliament come May”, declaring this to be “unbelievably important for the future of this country”.

To do that, he said his party has to run its best Holyrood election campaign yet.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Greer said: “The only way we can be that counter weight to the really hateful politics that is on the rise is, bluntly, if we get our shit together, and run the biggest and most effective campaign we’ve ever ran.”

Scottish Greens must also use next year’s campaign to “really hammer home the areas where we have delivered policies” during the party’s time in government with the SNP, he said.

While he accepted being in power with the SNP had been a “bruising experience” for the party, he made clear he would give “really serious consideration” to going into government again – should the political make up at Holyrood make this a possibility.

Looking ahead to next May’s Scottish Parliament election, Mr Greer – who became the new co-leader of his party along with fellow Green MSP Gillian Mackay in August – said Greens could potentially come “close to doubling” the eight MSPs they won in 2021.

Mr Greer said: “Next year has to be the biggest ever Scottish Green election campaign, because the stakes are higher than they have been in a long time.

“There is going to be a real contest next year between what I would characterise as the politics of hope versus the politics of hate. It’s the Greens who need to bring the hope.

“We need to be the party that shows people that things can actually be better.”

He contrasted the “hope and enthusiasm” of the Scottish Greens with an SNP Government that he said “with the best will in the world is timid, is managerial, is scaling back its ambitions”.

The West of Scotland MSP added: “I don’t think there are many people looking at the current Scottish Government feeling a sense of hope and optimism for the future.

“They might be looking at the current Government and thinking ‘Labour would be worse’, but they’re not filled with enthusiasm.”

Returning a Green MSP in the South of Scotland region is a “top priority” for the party next May, with Mr Greer saying he wants to make sure all eight regions in the Scottish Parliament have Green representation.

But he insisted they could make a “major breakthrough” next May.

“In the 10 weeks since Gillian and I became co-leaders we’ve had something approaching 1,500 people join the party, it’s the highest our membership has been in a decade,” Mr Greer said.

“We may well hit a point soon where it is the highest it has ever been.

“Our polling is at a record high, we have had some polls that have us tied with or ahead of Labour.”

He went on to say that Greens could give “really serious consideration” to going back into government, if the opportunity was to arise.

The party spent almost three years in power alongside the SNP as part of the Bute House Agreement, with previous co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater becoming junior ministers as part of the deal.

But they were ejected from office suddenly when then first minister Humza Yousaf ended the powersharing arrangement in April 2024.

“Being in government was a bruising experience for us,” Mr Greer said.

“If we had the opportunity to go back into government, whether it is after the next election or at some point in the future after that, and deliver our vision for Scotland, we would need to give that really serious consideration.”

While he said there is “no point in going into government to deliver another party’s manifesto”, he added: “The Greens would only go back into government if we were able to deliver Green policies and that Green vision.

“We would only go into government if we were able to do things that would lift kids out of poverty and protect the planet, that’s the kind of stuff we care about.

“If we were in a position to do that, we would really seriously consider it.”