SNP-Green deal ending is a blow to Humza Yousaf’s credibility

Humza Yousaf has ended the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens – but the move will not fix the perception of him, writes political editor Alistair Grant

The end of the co-operation deal between the SNP and the Greens is a blow to Humza Yousaf’s credibility.

Just a couple of days ago, the First Minister was throwing his weight behind the Bute House Agreement. “I hope that co-operation agreement will continue and I hope that Green members will also see the benefit of that cooperation,” he told journalists.

Mr Yousaf even pointed out that he ran for the leadership of the SNP on a platform of continuing the deal.

First Minister Humza Yousaf remains under pressure despite ending the Bute House Agreement. Picture: Fraser Bremner/Getty Images

“The Greens will push us hard on a number of issues, and they’ll have to compromise on issues, it involves us having to compromise, and that’s not a bad way at all of doing politics,” he said in May last year, just a few weeks into the job. “But for me as First Minister, having that majority in the chamber is worth its weight in gold.”

Perhaps the First Minister has concluded it was fool’s gold after all.

The SNP will presumably now seek to govern as a minority, as they did before the Bute House Agreement. A chunk of their MSPs will be more than happy with that. The Greens were not popular with everyone on the Nationalist benches, to put it mildly.

But the past few days have done nothing to combat the perception of Mr Yousaf as a leader battered by political currents, swept this way and that and unable to get a grip on events.

Opposition politicians are rubbing their hands with glee.

“This is funny as f***,” said one Scottish Labour figure I bumped into on the way into Holyrood this morning.