Two Green MSPs to become Government ministers in historic deal with SNP

The deal says the two sides aim to have another referendum in the first half of the parliamentary session, if the Covid-19 pandemic has ended

The agreement between the Scottish Greens and the SNP is a “historic moment” in Scottish politics, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Announcing the deal, which has been negotiated since May, the First Minister said it was a chance to do “politics and governance better”.

The agreement also formalises the pro-independence majority in Holyrood, after the SNP fell just one seat short of an overall majority in May’s election, as well as solidifying a timetable for another vote.

The deal says the two sides aim to have another referendum in the first half of the parliamentary session, meaning before the end of 2024, if the Covid-19 pandemic has ended.

Now, Scottish Green members and the SNP national executive committee will have to give the deal their support.

Flanked by Scottish Green co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie, who could find themselves in ministerial office after the deal guaranteed two MSPs would be in Government, the First Minister welcomed the news and credited the pair as “tough” negotiators.

Speaking from Bute House in Edinburgh, the First Minister said: “Working together to build a greener, fairer, independent Scotland is ground-breaking.

“Ground-breaking in both Scottish and, perhaps even more so, UK politics.”

Published: 20/08/2021 by Radio NewsHub