Humza Yousaf could lose Holyrood majority as coalition partners rebel over ditched climate target

The SNP could lose its working majority at Holyrood if the Scottish Greens decide to end their power-sharing deal over an abandoned greenhouse gas target.

The Greens are to call an extraordinary general meeting at which party members are expected to vote on whether to continue with the deal, which kept the SNP in power after it failed to win an overall majority in 2021.

Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie said things have “come to a head” after the Scottish Government scrapped its target to cut greenhouse gases by 75 per cent by 2030.

Earlier this week,  Humza Yousaf, the First Minister, admitted that his government was scrapping Nicola Sturgeon’s promise to cut Scotland’s carbon emissions by 75 per cent by 2030, after experts warned it was unachievable.

Now furious Scottish Green members are demanding that the party’s leaders consider ripping up their power-sharing deal with the SNP and quitting the government.

Chas Booth, a Scottish Green councillor in Edinburgh, wrote to the party’s executive, demanding an extraordinary general meeting be held “as soon as reasonably possible” to consider pulling out of the coalition with the SNP.

He warned the Greens were being “used as a figleaf for the SNP’s woeful and inexcusable climate inaction”.

Mr Booth said there had been “anger” on a party members’ call on Thursday evening as a result of the Greens being “part of a Government abandoning climate targets”.

‘Devastating and humiliating’

His call was backed by Anthony Carroll, a Glasgow councillor, who said members should have their say again on the coalition deal, and accused the SNP of having “shown a lot of contempt in the past year”.

Meanwhile, Labour has reiterated its “iron-clad” commitment to climate leadership. Ed Miliband, the shadow climate secretary, called the SNP’s U-turn a “devastating and humiliating admission of defeat”.

Labour has a stated aim of achieving net zero by 2045, with an interim target of at least 70 per cent by 2030.

The party has pledged to deliver “the lower bills, good jobs, energy security, and climate leadership that Scotland needs” with its Green Prosperity Plan.

Douglas Lumsden, the Scottish Conservative shadow secretary for net zero, said: “Abandoning their flagship, self-imposed climate-change target is an abject humiliation for the SNP.

“But the reality is that both Labour and the SNP’s policies would spell disaster for Scotland’s economy and energy security.

“Both parties are opposed to new licences being granted for oil and gas projects in the North Sea. This is madness, because it would cost tens of thousands of skilled jobs and leave us more reliant on the likes of Putin’s Russia for imported fossil fuels with a greater carbon footprint.

“Scotland needs a just transition to net zero that protects communities and livelihoods – rather than a battle between Labour and the SNP over who can sell out the North-East quickest.”

Claire Coutinho, the UK Energy Secretary, said: “Labour wants to shut down the North Sea, deterring investment and jobs. They’ve said their target to decarbonise power by 2030 will cost £28 billion a year, which will saddle taxpayers with thousands in higher taxes because they have no way to pay for it.”