Regan: SNP sacrificed their First Minister to appease Greens

HUMZA Yousaf was sacrificed by the SNP to appease the Scottish Green Party, say ALBA. 

In a speech at her party’s campaign conference today, ALBA Party Holyrood leader Ash Regan MSP set out the background of the events that led to the end of the Bute House Agreement and the end of Humza Yousaf’s term as First Minister. 

Ms Regan said that ALBA Party were willing to support Humza Yousaf staying in office if the SNP committed to ALBA Party’s demand to make independence a greater priority as well as protecting the rights of women and girls. saying "I offered an open door to Humza on independence and rights and protections to stabilise his government - instead the SNP chose to sacrifice their First Minister to crawl back to the Greens to avoid facing our open door!" 

Speaking at today’s ALBA Party Conference, Holyrood leader Ash Regan MSP said: 

“For ALBA we know that independence is an urgent priority for a better Scotland. We understand the SNP are no longer trusted to deliver it. 

Under Humza Yousaf we had an Independence Minister but what did he achieve? Thousands of pages of papers from the government yet nothing to inspire us - nothing to unleash the bottled up hope of the mothballed Yes Campaign. 

Dr Hilary Cass and her academic research team produced the most comprehensive review of gender identity care for children and young people anywhere in the world, centring child safety and quality care as its priority. 

The weekend of Easter recess I stood in disbelief. A Green Minister appeared on national television suggesting the work of Dr Cass was somehow not valid. That science be cast aside to appease the feelings of his friends, prioritising ideology over evidence. 

I could not let it go unchallenged. I lodged a vote of no confidence in Patrick Harvie. MSPs who quietly indicated their support privately cautioned their leadership. 

Within days the Greens were out of Government. 

I stood for the principle of competent Government and within days the First Minister needed ALBA to survive. I offered an open door to Humza on independence and rights and protections to stabilise his government- leaving leadership decisions to his party members. 

The SNP chose to sacrifice their First Minister to crawl back to the Greens to avoid facing our open door! 

The Greens had shown their only red lines were power and ideology. I could not endorse a shoddy Bute House Deal, so I again stood firm on principle.“