Kate Forbes says SNP should be 'checking in' with members on Bute House Agreement

The Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP says she is in favour of ensuring members still support the SNP’s relationship with the Scottish Greens at the next party conference

Kate Forbes, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

First minister hopeful Kate Forbes says she is in favour of “checking in” with SNP members at the next party conference to see if they still support the working agreement with the Scottish Greens.

The MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch says the SNP will always be able to find common ground with other parties, but added ministers need to know if the public are still on board with what they are doing.

This comes after fellow backbencher Fergus Ewing called for SNP members to be re-balloted on whether or not they still agree with the Bute House Agreement.

Scottish Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater with former first minister Nicola Sturgeon after signing the Bute House Agreement. Image: Lisa Ferguson.

The Bute House Agreement brought the Scottish Greens into government for the very first time back in 2021, and gave the party’s two co-leaders ministerial positions.

Ms Forbes has been critical of a number of policies which have been brought forward on the back of this agreement, such as gender reform and highly-protected marine areas (HPMAs).

Speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Ms Forbes said: “I’m a democrat, so I’m always in favour of checking in with the people, checking in with members - that’s the purpose of conference, to ensure they are continuing to support certain policies.

“The government has a duty to its party to ensure we’re delivering in a way that’s consistent with the membership’s interests.

“I think what is critical for me is not just the Bute House Agreement, but the substance of it.

“It includes a commitment to HPMAs, and we have seen the government shift away from HPMAs, and it includes a commitment to a deposit return scheme, and we have seen a shift away from the deposit return scheme.

“I think asking ideologically about an agreement is less important than asking what should be in the agreement.”

The former finance secretary added she also wants to see the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness sped up, something which goes against the Greens’ vision of having fewer cars on Scotland’s roads.

She added any delays to dualling this road are a “red line” and a “concern” for her.

Ms Forbes added: “As someone who has negotiated several budgets with the Greens, we can always find common cause with other parties, and the Bute House Agreement allows legislation to be developed in a better way.

“Ultimately as democrats we have to ensure we are delivering for people and that means checking in with the public to know what they want and what they care about.”

In response to Ms Forbes’s comments, Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said 95 per cent of SNP members agreed the Bute House Agreement was “the right thing to do”.

He said: “It has given us parliamentary stability and means we can get on with the programme for government.

“There are always going to be challenges around agreements and parties working together, as there are always going to be things you agree on and things you disagree on.

“There are going to be colleagues who feel uncomfortable with the things that are being taken forward, but I think it’s useful for parties to be continually challenged.”