Former Scottish Green MSP Robin Harper has joined Scottish Labour, accusing his former party of failing to take action on the environment.
He claimed Sir Keir Starmer’s party was the only one “with a plan for combatting climate change and harnessing the potential of the green industrial revolution.”
There was little surprise from Scottish Greens about Mr Harper’s decision to join Labour. Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray posted a picture of the former Lothian’s MSP campaigning for him last week.
They said it was “sad” that their ex-colleague had chosen to “compromise” on his “Green values.”
READ MORE: Robin Harper quits Scottish Greens, says party has 'lost the plot'
Mr Harper was the first ever Scottish Green MSP, sitting in Holyrood between 1999 and 2011. He had been active in the party for four decades, holding the first AGM in his flat back in the mid-80s.
He quit last year, accusing his successors of having “lost the plot.”
He said he was concerned by the the party's pro-independence stance and its position on transgender rights.
In a letter to voters, Mr Harper said: “I desperately want to see the back of this Conservative government, who have crashed our economy, degraded our political life and failed to tackle climate change.
“The SNP, and until recently their Green coalition partners, have also failed to take action on the environment.”
He criticised John Swinney’s position on new oil and gas licences and praised Sir Keir’s plans for GB Energy.
“This election provides us with a now-or-never opportunity to remove the Tories from power and end the chaos, failure and inaction that has marked their fourteen years in government,” Mr Harper wrote.
“Only Labour is able to do this across the UK and only Labour has a plan to halt environmental destruction.”
A Scottish Green spokesperson said: “Labour have abandoned their key promise of £28 billion a year in climate investments, doubled down on nuclear power and nuclear weapons, and backtracked on workers’ rights.
“None of these are core green values, so it is really disappointing and sad that Robin has chosen to compromise on those.”
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