NATIONAL readers have delivered their verdict on whether or not the SNP should continue with the Bute House Agreement.
In an informal poll, we asked readers if the SNP should continue with the governing agreement with the majority of people saying “no”.
However, the results were tight. Of the 2625 people who voted, 53% said they did not think the agreement should continue while 47% said they believed it should.
It comes after MSP and former Scottish finance secretary Kate Forbes (below) called on her party to “check in” with members on whether or not the Bute House Agreement should continue.
She suggested that a ballot could take place at this year’s party conference as she became the third former Scottish Government minister to call for such action.
“I’m a democrat, so I’m always in favour of checking in with the people, checking in with members – and that’s the purpose of conference, to ensure that they are continuing to support certain policies”, she said.
“I think Government has a duty to its party, obviously, to ensure that we are delivering in a way that’s consistent with the membership’s interests.”
Forbes continued: “Now, the Bute House Agreement, for example, includes a commitment to HPMAs, and we’ve seen the Government shift from HPMAs.
“It includes a commitment to the Deposit Return Scheme, and we’ve seen a shift away from the Deposit Return Scheme.
“So I think just asking ideologically about an agreement is less important than asking what should be in that agreement. Cooperation should always characterise our politics.”
The co-operation agreement which was first signed in 2021.
Fergus Ewing and Alex Neil are among those to have said members should have a say when conference takes place in Aberdeen in October.
The Scottish Greens Party Council unanimously voted to support the election of Humza Yousaf as First Minister and to continue with the Bute House Agreement following his victory in the SNP leadership election win earlier this year.
