What Does The End Of The Bute House Agreement Mean?
29th April 2024
On 25 April 2024 it was announced that the Scottish Government Cabinet had agreed to end the Scottish Government's formal co-operation agreement with the Scottish Green Parliamentary Party (often referred to as the ‘Bute House agreement') with immediate effect.
This blog considers the cooperation agreement, the circumstances which led to it being ended and what this may mean for government in Scotland.
The Bute House agreement
In September 2021, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Parliamentary Party (‘the Greens') entered into a cooperation agreement. The agreement was the first of its type since devolution in Scotland.
The agreement set out how the Scottish Government and the Greens intended to work together over five years - the duration of the session six Parliament. It was announced on 20 August 2021 and subsequently ratified by the Scottish Green Party and the national executive committee of the Scottish National Party (SNP). SNP members also backed the agreement in a consultative ballot.
Section B of the agreement committed the Scottish Government and the Greens to delivering a shared programme which was detailed in the policy programme document Working Together To Build A Greener, Fairer, Independent Scotland. This programme set policy priorities in areas such as the climate emergency, economic recovery, child poverty, the natural environment, energy and the constitution.
More information on the detail of the cooperation agreement can be found in a previous SPICe blog published in September 2021.
Policy tensions
Two key areas of policy appeared to increase the tension between the Scottish Government and the Greens - gender services and climate change.
Following a review of gender services for under 18s in England, NHS Scotland announced last week that it would pause prescribing puberty blockers to under 18s referred to it by specialist gender clinics. Following that announcement, the Rainbow Greens (the LGBT wing of the Green party) launched a petition on the future of the Bute House agreement with co-convener, Jen Bell saying:
In the Bute House Agreement the Scottish government promised to dismantle the gatekeeper system and put trans patients at the heart of decisions on their own healthcare...Sandyford's decision breaks that promise.
On 18 April 2024, the Scottish Government announced that it was to scrap its 2030 climate change target and move to a system of 5 year carbon budgeting, with targets still in place to reach net zero by 2045. A SPICe blog explains the implications of the announcement in more detail.
Following the two announcements, the Greens planned to ask its members in an extraordinary general meeting whether the party should continue in its power sharing agreement with the Scottish Government. Co-leader of the Greens, Patrick Harvie MSP, stated at the time that he would resign as co-leader if members backed an end to the Bute House agreement, believing that doing so would be a "mistake".
Formal end to the Bute House agreement
On the morning of 25 April 2024, the First Minister held an unscheduled Cabinet meeting. Following that meeting, the Bute House agreement was, the First Minister stated at a press conference, "terminated with immediate effect". The First Minister also confirmed that the Scottish Government will now govern as a minority government, continuing to work with parties at the Scottish Parliament to find consensus on an issue by issue basis.
In his statement, the First Minister said that the purpose of the agreement had been stability and had brought benefit as well as compromise but that "It is now my judgment that the balance has shifted". The First Minister's decision to end the power sharing agreement was a significant shift in his position. Just days earlier, Mr Yousaf had said "I really value the Bute House agreement".
In a letter ending the Bute House agreement, the First Minister thanked the co-conveners of the Greens for their service, saying:
The Bute House Agreement delivered bold action on pressing social issues, including securing a better deal for tenants and action to tackle poverty and inequality. We have worked together, too, to accelerate our transition to net zero, with a focus on fair work, green jobs and more support for active travel and the launch of free bus travel for under 22s.
The letter also confirmed the end of their Ministerial tenure. The First Minister indicated in his letter a hope to continue to work together:
The cessation of the Bute House Agreement should not be a barrier to our parties continuing to work together to make progress on the policies Scotland needs to thrive; not least our shared commitment to securing independence for Scotland and to giving people the right to choose our country's future.
In a statement following the collapse of the agreement, the Greens co-leader Lorna Slater MSP was reported to say that the SNP had "sold out future generations" and that:
[...] by ending the agreement in such a weak and thoroughly hopeless way, Humza Yousaf has signalled that when it comes to political cooperation, he can no longer be trusted.
What may this mean for the Scottish Parliament?
The Scottish Government has confirmed it will now govern as a minority government. There are 63 SNP MSPs in the Parliament, 2 short of a majority.
What may this mean for the Scottish Parliament?
The Scottish Government has confirmed it will now govern as a minority government. There are 63 SNP MSPs in the Parliament, 2 short of a majority.
This means that the Scottish Government will need to seek the support of other parties in order to secure the support of the Parliament on votes. This is something which has been done before - the SNP was a minority government from 2007-2011 and again from 2016-2021.
Following the announcement of the agreement between the Scottish Government and the Greens, the Presiding Officer wrote to members of the Scottish Parliament on 31 August 2021 to set out how Parliamentary Business would change. Changes included the calling of Green MSPs at First Minister's Questions and after Ministerial statements as well as to the allocation of opposition time for Green party debates and speaking slots during debates.
Green backbench MSPs retained the right to submit their names to the draws for Portfolio and General Questions, and to request Topical, Urgent and SPCB questions. The Greens also retained the party's allocated seats on Scottish Parliament committees.
It will be for the Presiding Officer to make any changes following the collapse of the Bute House agreement.
Further details on the agreement and other forms of power-sharing agreements can be found in a SPICe briefing ‘Scottish Government-Green cooperation agreement and other forms of political agreement’.
Note
This articles is from the Spice Spotlight - Scottish Parliament web site. To read it with links to more details go HERE
