Scottish Greens launch election campaign

Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie said his party could win over the type of voters who were attracted by Jeremy Corbyn's leadership campaign last year as well as get backing from SNP supporters in May's Holyrood election.

Patrick Harvie at the Scottish Greens launch in Glasgow. Picture: John Devlin

Mr Harvie made the claim as the Scottish Greens launched the party’s election campaign with a series of radical pledges including a commitment to “ban fracking once and for all”.

The party’s election campaign platform of ‘Scotland Can’ was launched in Glasgow, where Mr Harvie also backed a ‘Carers Wage’ and a plan to create 204,000 jobs in the green energy sector.

Mr Harvie, speaking after the campaign launch, suggested that the package could win the support of Scots who liked Mr Corbyn’s successful leadership bid and attract SNP supporters, who want to “split” their vote by backing the Greens in the list section of the election.

Picture: John Devlin

He said: “There’s an energy and a desire for change and Jeremy Corbyn won some of his support on that basis last year.

“But this seems to have bypassed Scottish Labour, so I’d hope that the Scottish Greens can speak to these people with the policies we’re putting forward.”