Robin Harper slams 'sterile' independence debate as he quits the Scottish Greens

The UK’s first Green parliamentarian says he has concerns over the party’s stance on independence and trans rights

Robin Harper, the Greens’ first UK parliamentarian, said the debate on Scottish independence had become “sterile” as he dramatically quit the party.

Mr Harper, who served as a Lothians MSP from 1999 until 2011 and was co-convener of the Scottish Greens from 2004 until 2008, resigned from the Greens saying they had “lost the plot”.

His two main areas of concern were the party’s pro-independence stance and its position on transgender rights.

Ex-MSP Robin Harper has quit the Scottish Green Party. Image: Neil Hanna/TSPL.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Harper said: “What I’m most worried about is support for independence.

“We have had a sterile debate going on for 30 years about whether Scotland should be independent and we have got nowhere with it.

“Whichever side wins, the other side will be deeply disappointed.

“Instead of dividing Scotland we should look at a better constitution where rights and freedoms are better protected.”

Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings Patrick Harvie wants to force thousands of Scots to replace perfectly in order boilers (Picture: Fraser Bremner - Pool/Getty Images)

He also said he did not agree with the gender reforms championed by the Scottish Greens, even if this put him at odds with the majority of current MSPs.

The proposals, which would have made it easier for a trans person to legally change their gender and lowered the age at which this could be done to 16, were passed by a majority of MSPs in December 2022.

The legislation was subsequently blocked by the UK Government which said it impacted on UK-wide laws.

Mr Harper said: “I think the problem at the base of this is it was rushed through.

“We are still waiting for reports from the Sandyford Clinic and the Tavistock Clinic down south - these would have gone into depth with what is going wrong with support for trans people and hopefully come up with a lot of sensible recommendations.

“But for a child or adolescent who is on the fringe of things to take a decision that could affect them very, very deeply for the rest of their lives, it is too young.

“I don’t think enough evidence is taken on adolescent and child development before being pushed into passing the legislation as it stood.

“The Greens are chiming with part of the electorate [on gender reform], but I would far rather they chimed with more than just a part of the centre of politics.”

He also said he had disagreed with how the party’s co-leader Lorna Slater had dealt with the UK Government over the proposed deposit return scheme.

It comes after Mr Harper wrote to the party’s co-leader Patrick Harvie to announce he was revoking his membership,

In his letter, he said: “My concern that the Scottish Green Party’s public image has been damaged by its failure to cooperate meaningfully with other interests, including the Westminster government, is reinforced by the huge number of friends, acquaintances and random contacts who have expressed to me an opinion that the Scottish Green Party has lost the plot.

“I am aware that former colleagues and friends in the Scottish Green Party may be sorry - and even offended - by my decision to resign from the party and I apologise for not attempting to speak up within the party before coming to this decision.

“Nevertheless, I believe that if the Scottish Green Party wishes to retain the respect of the nation, it needs to approach its task with a more constructive mindset and a willingness to cooperate.”

In response, a spokesperson for the Scottish Greens said: “We thank Robin for what he has done both within parliament as the first ever Scottish Green MSP and outside it as a tireless advocate for the environment.

“Our party has always been committed to social and environmental justice as well as independence.

“With Scottish Greens now in government, we are turning long-held policies such as free bus travel for young people, investing in restoring Scotland’s natural environment, and a cap on rent rises into reality.

“This is delivering what Robin and others could only have wished for back in the early days of devolution.”

They added: “Independence and human rights, including the rights of trans people, are at the core of our vision and have been since our party was founded over 30 years ago.

“Our commitment to that vision has seen us achieve record result after record result in recent elections.

“The climate crisis will be the defining environmental issue for this generation and all future generations.

“It is only by building on this green change that we can deliver a fairer, greener and better future for Scotland.”