Scottish Greens Crisis: Co-leader Patrick Harvie Uncertain About Coalition Survival Amid Climate Policy Rebellion
The Scottish Greens, led by co-leader Patrick Harvie, are facing a major crisis after a rebellion from party activists over climate policy.
The Greens are currently in a coalition government with the Scottish National Party, but members have forced an emergency meeting to discuss whether to continue the partnership.
Harvie described this as the biggest crisis in the party's history and admitted he was unsure if members would support his pleas to stay in government.
The Scottish Greens' co-leader, Harvie, faced questions about his leadership after the Scottish government abandoned a legally binding target to reduce carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.
Party members and climate campaigners were outraged by this decision, and several senior councillors accused Harvie and his co-leader Lorna Slater, who are both government ministers, of abandoning a cherished policy goal.
The Rainbow Greens, a significant group of LGBTQ+ activists within the Scottish Green Party, announced they had collected the necessary 100 votes to call for an emergency general meeting (EGM) to discuss the party's future in the coalition government.
Notable Green councillors, such as Chas Booth in Edinburgh and Anthony Carroll in Glasgow, also expressed their support for an emergency vote.
In response, party leaders Patrick Harvie and Ross Greer attempted to take control of the situation by announcing they had already requested an EGM before the rebels had gathered enough votes.