Humza Yousaf, Scotland's first minister, abruptly ended the coalition agreement between his Scottish National Party and the Scottish Greens on Thursday, creating new challenges for a leader whose party has been embroiled in a funding scandal since last year. Brought.
Tensions between the two parties, which have jointly ruled since August 2021, have been heightened by the Scottish Government's decision to ease climate change targets and disagreements within the coalition over transgender rights policy.
But on Thursday morning, Green Party co-leader Lorna Slater appeared surprised by Mr Yousaf's decision to break up the coalition. She accused the SNP of “despicable behavior” and added that Mr Yousaf “can no longer be trusted”.
Does this mean the end of the Scottish Government?
Not so far. The Scottish Conservatives are calling for a motion of no confidence against Yousaf passed by the opposition Scottish Labor Party. I signaled that I would support you., and it might happen next week. But the vote is about trust in Yousaf, not the government, so it is unclear what it would mean even if he were to lose.Generally speaking, the rules make it difficult to force an early election in Scotland that could oust the SNP from government.
For now, the collapse of the coalition means Yousaf will lead a minority government. However, this is not the first time the SNP has ruled as a minority, having also done so after elections in 2007 and 2016. The Scottish Parliament has a more proportional electoral system than the UK Parliament, as it was established with the express purpose of representing the diverse needs of the population and encouraging compromise between political parties.
Yousaf said Thursday that he wants to continue cooperating with the Green Party, albeit informally. However, the SNP is two votes short of a majority and will need to work with other parties in the Scottish Parliament to ensure passage of key legislation.
Where did I go wrong?
Mr Yousaf said on Thursday that the coalition agreement had “served its purpose” but that the main tension between the SNP and the Greens was now over climate change policy following the government's decision to rein in its pledges. Ta.
When Nicola Sturgeon was first minister, the Scottish Government made an ambitious commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
But a major report by a government-appointed independent commission in March found that target was “no longer reliable”, and last week the SNP announced it was withdrawing its annual target.
Patrick Harvey, co-leader of the Green Party, said he was “angry and disappointed” after the comments, but was in favor of keeping the Coalition in government as it had achieved great results on climate change and other policies. Stated. However, the Scottish Greens had planned to give members a vote on whether to remain in the coalition government or leave. And no one knew how it would turn out.
Was the only disagreement over climate policy?
Policies on transgender issues are also controversial, with some Greens dissatisfied with a decision by Scotland's National Health Service to suspend prescribing puberty suppressants and other hormone treatments to minors. has spread. This followed an independent review of gender services in the UK by pediatrician Hilary Kass. “Many young people will be concerned about the impact that the decision to stop using puberty blockers will have on their health care.” Gillian McKay saida Green Party member of the Scottish Parliament, added: “Our solidarity should be with them.”
Why now?
The coalition agreement was struck when Ms Sturgeon was Scotland's first minister and leader of the SNP, which called for Scottish independence. She resigned last year and her husband Peter Murrell was recently charged with embezzling party funds during his long-time leadership. Ms Sturgeon was arrested and questioned in connection with a similar investigation last year, but she was not charged and she was released.
A police investigation into SNP funding has plunged the party into crisis. Since taking over the leadership, Mr. Yousaf has struggled to assert his authority, with Britain's main opposition Labor party once dominant in Scotland ahead of a general election scheduled for later this year. Opinion polls show that he is starting a new challenge.
For Mr. Yousaf, who had already faced criticism on a number of issues, his options were narrowing. Faced with the option of waiting for a vote on whether his coalition agreement with the Greens would survive, he decided to take the initiative. “This is leadership,” he told a news conference after announcing the end of the agreement on Thursday.
Asked by a reporter whether Mr. Yousaf's approach was, “It's better to break up than be dumped,'' he replied, “Personally, I don't know.''
