Scottish Greens rule out doing a deal with Labour - but are open to working with the SNP again

Lorna Slater also says she is worried the upcoming Supreme Court verdict on the definition of a woman could make life harder for trans people.

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater says she would be open to working with the SNP again after next year’s Holyrood election - but has ruled out doing a deal with Scottish Labour.

The Lothians MSP said she also feared next week’s Supreme Court verdict on the definition of a woman would make life harder for trans people. She said she hoped to see a trans person elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2026.

The Scottish Greens are gathering in Stirling this weekend for their annual party conference, which will focus on getting ready for the coming Holyrood election and starting to select candidates.

Scottish Green co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie at the Stirling Reuse Hub. | Jane Barlow/Press Association

This will be the last party conference with Patrick Harvie as co-leader. He is due to step down in the summer after leading the party for 17 years.

The outlook for the Scottish Greens is quite different than it was a year ago. This time last year the Bute House Agreement was still in place, with the Greens in government and both Mr Harvie and Ms Slater enjoyed positions as government ministers.

But the partnership agreement was subsequently scrapped by former first minister Humza Yousaf, ultimately triggering his downfall. Mr Yousaf was replaced by John Swinney and the Scottish Greens were forced to retreat to the backbenches and have been in opposition ever since.

Ms Slater, who is co-leader alongside Mr Harvie, is planning to run again for the party leadership - and said she would be open to working formally with the SNP once more.

Speaking to The Scotsman in Stirling, Ms Slater said: “It may be after next year’s election the SNP ends up in the same position as the last election where they are the largest party, but a minority.

For the best Scottish politics news and analysis, get The Steamie newsletter

“It is then up to them to approach other parties and decide which parties to make formal or informal arrangements with. If there is a call to make in terms of the Greens joining, that would be up to our members to decide.

“The Scottish Greens worked well with the SNP in government and in opposition. When we were in government, we were able to have a lot of influence and got things moving forward really quickly, such as the emergency rent freeze.

“We can see since we left government the SNP has back-tracked on a lot of their promises such as on heat in buildings. We would always push the SNP to be better.”

Ms Slater said the Scottish Greens considered themselves to be a critical, but constructive front in the Scottish Parliament, separate from the politics of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay.

She said: “We can see how it can be done better with the constructive policies we are now bringing forward in opposition, and we could do that in an arrangement [with the SNP] again.”

However, the Lothians MSP ruled out doing a coalition deal with Scottish Labour due to some of the decisions the party has made in Westminster since the general election in July last year.

Lorna Slater MSP | Jane Barlow/Press Association

Mr Sarwar has made no secret he wants to win the 2026 Holyrood election and become Scotland’s next first minister.

However, from enjoying a high on par with the SNP last summer, Scottish Labour has plummeted in the polls, with recent surveys showing the party back to levels recorded at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice has said it is not impossible for Mr Sarwar to get the keys to Bute House, but stressed the Labour leader’s chances are fast diminishing and he will likely have to rely on other unionist parties in Holyrood to get him there.

Back in 2023, Ms Slater said independence was not a “red line” that would prevent the Scottish Greens potentially doing a deal with Scottish Labour in the future. However, she now said she could not see this being an option on the table.

“Labour wants to rule on their own, but they have bigger problems right now,” she said. “They betrayed Waspi women, they’ve cut benefits to disabled and sick people, they support nuclear weapons, they are arming Israel’s genocide, and Scottish Labour is supporting them.

“The Scottish Greens will always try to find common ground, such as the common ground we’ve found with the SNP on independence, tackling child poverty and the climate crisis.

“It is hard to imagine what common ground we have with the Labour Party.”

Ms Slater said she worried next week’s Supreme Court judgement will make life harder for trans people.

For Women Scotland took the Scottish Government to court after ministers included trans women in the definition of women for some pieces of legislation, with a verdict expected on Wednesday.

Scottish Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater talk to staff at the Stirling Reuse Hub. | Jane Barlow/Press Association

Ms Slater said: “We are already in a really unhappy space for trans rights in the UK with the Equality Act 2010, as I understand it, not being one of self-ID. The Scottish Greens believe in self-ID and non-binary identities.

“We believe trans people deserve to be full members of society and we need to recognise the value they bring. I am worried the Supreme Court judgement could make it harder for trans people - they have a tough gig as it is, they don’t need it to be harder.”

The party says it will not change its position and will continue to support self-ID for trans people regardless of the court case’s outcome.

When asked by The Scotsman if there could be a trans person elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2026, Ms Slater said: “I very much hope that is the case. The upsetting thing about this debate is so seldom do we hear from trans people.

“Imagine a women’s debate where we don’t hear from women. In many of these debates, no openly trans person has spoken, which is really upsetting, and it would be wonderful to correct that.”