Joanna Cherry brands the Greens 'totalitarian' and 'anti-gay' as she calls for the Bute House Agreement to be scrapped

The Edinburgh South West MP said some Scottish Green parliamentarians have behaved ‘disgracefully’ towards women

Joanna Cherry MP is interviewed by Graham Spiers at the Edinburgh Fringe. Image: Andrew Milligan/Press Association.

Joanna Cherry has called for the SNP’s deal with the Greens to be scrapped, branding the party “totalitarian” and “anti-gay”.

The Edinburgh South West MP was appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe when she said some of the Scottish Green parliamentarians have behaved in a “disgraceful way” towards women and said they are not on top of how to tackle the climate emergency.

During her show she also spoke about how she feared she would be turfed out of the SNP for holding gender critical views, and said she thinks Stephen Flynn could be a future SNP leader as the “toxic” atmosphere in the Westminster group is getting better under his leadership.

Speaking at the sold out event in The Stand’s New Town Theatre, Ms Cherry was asked if now is the right time to renegotiate the Bute House Agreement.

The Bute House Agreement is the document which formally brought the Greens into government and gave the party’s two co-leaders, Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, ministerial roles.

In response, Ms Cherry said: “Yes - I voted against the Bute House Agreement with the Greens because I think they’ve become a totalitarian party.

“Some of their parliamentarians have behaved in a disgraceful way towards women and I feel the tail is wagging the dog in Holyrood.

“The SNP has a huge mandate - the Greens don’t.”

This comes after rebel SNP backbencher Fergus Ewing and first minister hopeful Kate Forbes both said they would like to see members re-balloted on the future of the Bute House Agreement.

Ms Cherry added she does not believe the party is on top of how to tackle the climate crisis either.

She added: “The Scottish Greens’ approach to the climate crisis is focused on individual solutions and solutions funded by private capital.

“Quite apart from the anti-free speech and anti-gay elements of the Greens, they are not on top of proper, collective governmental solutions to the climate crisis, so I’m not a big fan.

“It is up to the SNP to stay in coalition but there is an appetite to discuss it.”