Bute House Agreement ends

The Scottish Government’s formal co-operation agreement with the Scottish Green Party has ended, First Minister Humza Yousaf has confirmed.

Mr Yousaf met Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater this morning and, following a meeting of the Scottish Cabinet, the First Minister informed them formally of the end of the Bute House Agreement, and their tenure as Ministers, with immediate effect.

The full text of the First Minister’s letter:

Patrick, Lorna

I am writing to confirm the decision taken by Cabinet today to bring the Bute House Agreement to an end.  This decision is effective immediately.

As per the terms of the Bute House Agreement, this development also marks the end of your tenures as ministers. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your service to the Scottish Government and for your evident commitment to improving the lives of the Scottish people. 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. 

We can all be proud of our work together to build a greener, fairer and independent Scotland and for the role you played in working collaboratively to find solutions for the problems confronting the world today.

This spirit of co-operation and consensus-building is in keeping with the founding principles of our Scottish Parliament.  Those principles will continue to guide my Government’s approach and to be innovative in the ways we serve the people of Scotland. 

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.

Thank you once again for all you have done to deliver for the people of Scotland.  I wish you well for the future.

HUMZA YOUSAF