Kicking Greens out of Scottish Government was 'in the national interest', says Stephen Flynn

Stephen Flynn has said that kicking the Greens out of the Scottish Government was "in the national interest".

The SNP Westminster leader claimed Humza Yousaf had "shown leadership" by dramatically ending the Bute House Agreement today.

The First Minister announced the powersharing deal had been terminated with "immediate effect" at a press conference in Edinburgh this morning, with the Nationalists now forming a minority government.

The decision prompted a furious backlash from the Greens, who accused Yousaf of "political cowardice" and caving in to the "most reactionary forces in the country".

But he received support from Flynn, one of the most senior figures in the SNP.

Flynn tweeted: "The First Minister has shown leadership in the national interest.

"As the party for all of Scotland we work to deliver jobs and economic growth, protect the future of our NHS and provide support in a cost of living crisis."

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.

But it 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.

Yousaf was the only contestant in last year's SNP leadership contest who wanted to continue the coalition.

Both Ash Regan and Kate Forbes said they would ditch the arrangement.

They said "the Green tail is wagging the SNP dog", but Yousaf insisted the agreement was "worth its weight in gold".

It comes as Flynn grows in influence among Nationalist circles.

He is seen as being influential in the "make Scotland Tory-free" messaging that the SNP is using for the general election campaign.

And he is a big advocate of the party's stance not to extend the windfall tax on oil and gas giants.

Flynn became the SNP's Westminster leader in December following a coup which ousted his predecessor Blackford. He beat Nicola Sturgeon ally Alison Thewliss in the leadership contest with a 26-17 majority.

Flynn, who writes a regular column for the Daily Record, has also been touted by some as a potential future leader of the party despite only being an MP for less than four years.

The Aberdeen South MP has been praised for his performances against Rishi Sunak at Prime Minister's Questions.

He often keeps his answers short, is direct and does not use any notes.

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