By Alistair Smout and William James
LONDON (Reuters) -Scotland’s governing nationalists abandoned a coalition with the Greens on Thursday, raising fresh questions over the pro-independence party’s dominance of Scottish politics as its poll ratings sag in favour of the UK-wide opposition Labour.
Scottish National Party leader Humza Yousaf said he would lead a devolved government without a majority in the Scottish parliament, after a dispute with the Greens over a decision to scrap a climate change emissions reduction target last week.
The centre-left SNP has led Scotland’s devolved government since 2011, but its fortunes have faltered since a funding scandal and the resignation of a party leader last year. The coalition with the Greens had highlighted splits within the party over how progressive its pitch should be as it seeks to woo back voters on issues beyond its call for independence.
Earlier this month, a YouGov poll put Labour slightly ahead of the SNP for the first time since Scotland narrowly voted to remain part of the United Kingdom in an independence referendum in 2014.
“Going forward, it is in the best interests of the people of Scotland to pursue a different arrangement,” Yousaf said at a news conference, adding he had notified the Greens he was terminating the coalition agreement with immediate effect.
“We will now step up our ambition, but we will do so as a minority government,” he said, adding that the SNP minority administration planned to serve the full parliamentary term until Scottish elections scheduled for 2026.
The SNP now has 63 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) out of 129, with the Greens, who also support independence, holding seven. The Greens previously held two junior posts in the Scottish government.
The Conservative Party which governs the UK has 31 MSPs, and Labour – once the dominant force in Scotland – has 22.
Yousaf said he hoped to work with the Greens and other opposition parties outside of formal agreements.
Other parties, including the Greens, ridiculed Yousaf for abandoning the coalition days after saying he favoured continuing it.
“By ending the agreement in such a weak and thoroughly hopeless way, Humza Yousaf has signalled that when it comes to political co-operation, he can no longer be trusted,” Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater said.
Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said that the collapse of the coalition was an “utter humiliation” for Yousaf, who earlier this week had backed the continuation of the arrangement.
The SNP’s poll leads have waned since then-leader Nicola Sturgeon stepped down in early 2023. Her husband was charged last week with embezzlement of funds from the SNP. She has been arrested and questioned but not charged. They both deny wrongdoing.
(Reporting by William James, Alistair Smout and Farouq Suleiman; writing by Kate HoltonEditing by Elizabeth Piper, Paul Sandle, Peter Graff)
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