Patrick Harvie has insisted the Bute House Agreement still “benefits Scotland”.
The party’s co-leader was speaking of the second anniversary of the power-sharing deal that brought the Greens into the Scottish Government.
In recent weeks, the pact has come under enormous pressure, with senior figures in the SNP calling on Humza Yousaf to either ditch or renegotiate the terms of the agreement. Mr Harvie, the zero carbon buildings minister in the Scottish Government, insisted the Bute House agreement was a “commitment to a constructive way of working” based on the shared aims of the two parties and the “core principles of building trust and good faith”.
He told the PA: “Our approach to delivering a just and fair energy transition – ensuring we work across parliament, with the sector and with communities – is a prime example of how this approach benefits Scotland.”
The Bute House Agreement gives the minority SNP group in Holyrood a parliamentary majority and helps protect them from votes of no confidence.
As part of the deal, there is a joint policy platform covering a wide range of areas, including independence, housing, transport and tackling climate change.
Mr Harvie was with Scottish Energy Minister Neil Gray at the opening of the new Greengairs East wind farm in North Lanarkshire.
The SNP politician praised the Bute House Agreement: “An unstable world needs more co-operation and more constructive conversation if governments are to effectively meet the challenges they face.”
Mr Gray pointed to the chaos and risk to energy security sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said the deal between the SNP and Greens sets out “a very clear direction on how it can help overcome these issues and capitalise on the enormous opportunities our energy transition presents”.
He added it was “absolutely fitting, therefore, that we are marking the second anniversary of the agreement here at the new Greengairs East wind farm”.
Mr Harvie added that the Bute House agreement had “established a shared policy programme that has tackling the climate emergency and supporting Scotland’s renewable energy industries at its core”.
He said it was “great to see the impact that this is having” as the energy bills “crisis” has “not gone away”.
Mr Harvie added: “While the UK Government needs to take urgent action in reserved areas, over the last year we have set out a very clear pathway on how we can transition to clean, green energy, to tackle the climate crisis and to capitalise on the enormous potential we have to ensure everyone and every household in Scotland can benefit.”
When it was first put to the party by Nicola Sturgeon following the 2021 election, it received the support of around 95% of SNP members.
However, in the two years since a number of policy failures have caused tensions, particularly the chaotic and delayed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and the Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).
Earlier this week, a new poll found support for the Bute House agreement had fallen among SNP supporters.
Survation found that 48% of Scots who voted for the party in 2019, backed the deal, down from 58% in May.
Another 24% of SNP voters were opposed.
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