Humza Yousaf denies he is 'heading for the exit door' after ending Bute House Agreement with Greens

Humza Yousaf has denied he is "heading for the exit door" after ending the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens.

The First Minister said he was not a "lame duck leader" in a press conference in Edinburgh on Thursday morning.

Yousaf booted the SNP's junior coalition partners from the Scottish Government earlier on Thursday.

The Bute House Agreement was signed by Nicola Sturgeon in the aftermath of the 2021 Holyrood election and was supposed to usher in a new era of cooperation between the SNP and Greens, as well as securing a pro-independence majority of MSPs.

When asked by the Record if he was a "lame duck leader who is heading for the exit door", he said: "No, not at all.

"This is the ability to say we are taking control as a party and indeed as a government on our priority terms, our priority terms, and that is clearly going to be demonstrated.

"I think it has been demonstrated, actually, in the course of the almost three years we've been as part of the Bute House Agreement with the Greens.

"But it will continue to be demonstrated over the coming days, over the coming weeks, and over the coming months."

The coalition was never popular with all Nationalists and has come under severe strain over the last week since the Scottish Government ditched key climate targets.

That decision prompted fury from rank-and-file Green members who then secured a vote planned for next month on whether to the deal should continue.

The end of the Bute House Agreement prompted a furious reaction from Greens co-leader Lorna Slater.

"This is an act of political cowardice by the SNP, who are selling out future generations to appease the most reactionary forces in the country," she said.

"Voters deserve better, Scotland deserves better. Scottish Green voters certainly deserve better.

"They have broken the bonds of trust with members of both parties who have twice chosen the co-operation agreement and climate action over chaos, culture wars and division. They have betrayed the electorate.

"And by ending the agreement in such a weak and thoroughly hopeless way, Humza Yousaf has signalled that when it comes to political cooperation, he can no longer be trusted."

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