Humza Yousaf puts SNP on election footing after coalition with Greens collapses

In a surprise move on Thursday morning, the first minister called in the Scottish Greens’ two co-leaders, Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, to tell them they were being sacked as he axed a power-sharing deal first hailed as a new era in consensus politics.

That rebellion in turn forced Harvie and Slater to agree to an emergency vote by their party on staying in government – a concession that rattled Yousaf and immediately raised questions about the coalition’s viability.

At 8.30am, Yousaf hosted an emergency cabinet meeting in Bute House, the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh, to tell them the SNP was returning to minority government to allow it to have sole control over policies.

Earlier this week, they had put their leadership on the line by urging rebellious Green party members to maintain their support for the Bute House agreement, despite the crisis over the climate policy.

He dismissed Yousaf’s assurances earlier in the day that he still wanted to collaborate with the Greens on climate policy, fair taxation and anti-poverty measures.

Immediately after first minister’s questions, Yousaf went into two back-to-back private meetings with his MSPs and his MPs, many of whom face losing their seats at the election to Labour and attacks on their competence by their Tory opponents.