Patrick Harvie's exit leaves big questions for the Scottish Greens

Twelve months ago Patrick Harvie’s jacket was on a shoogly peg. Now, announcing his resignation as Scottish Greens co-leader, he has lifted that jacket off himself.

It was April 2024 when members invoked party rules to force a vote that, had it proceeded, could have forced the long-serving leader out of office.

Unhappy over the scrapping of climate targets and the government’s handling of the Cass Review into young trans patients, critics sought an emergency vote on whether to exit the Bute House Agreement, a coalition deal with the SNP that had taken the Greens into power for the first time. It had also elevated Harvie into the role of Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights – a mixed and unique brief.

If the challenge had succeeded, Harvie would surely not have been able to continue as co-leader. It was the biggest test he had faced during his tenure at the top, and he survived it thanks in no small part to Humza Yousaf, who yanked the rug out from under him and axed the agreement in a morning meeting.

The junior partners were furious. Yousaf had been under pressure to stop ‘the Green tail wagging the SNP dog’ and do the dumping, rather than wait to be dumped. Though Green leaders believed their members would have voted to continue the deal, Yousaf removed the dubiety, leaving Harvie and colleague Lorna Slater bruised but secure in their places.

Steely as always, Harvie rose in the chamber at the FMQs that followed to ask Yousaf who “does he think he can rely on for a majority in parliament now?” Indeed, unable to count on Green support when an inevitable vote of confidence was tabled, Yousaf stood down, again striking first to avoid being dumped.

The longest-serving of all the leaders currently in the chamber, Harvie aims to continue as an MSP in the next session of the parliament. In responding to his decision, the Greens must answer questions about the party’s direction.

Under Harvie, the Greens adopted an avowedly pro-independence stance, and have been arguably the most ardent supporters of gender recognition reforms in the parliament. Both of those positions have alienated some – Robin Harper, a former leader himself, cancelled his membership over the former and the party withdrew membership from critics of its latter stance, many of them long-serving activists.

Meanwhile, there is a core on the left of the party which argues that it has become too mainstream and must go further in its pursuit of a socialist Scotland and shake off the perception that it is “a bunch of middle-class do-gooders”.

Under party rules, the Greens must have two co-leaders, at least one of whom is a woman. Candidates do not need to be elected politicians and it’s not yet clear who will put themselves forward as a successor to Harvie, but whoever takes the job will have to decide whether to challenge any of this, and to what extent. In an election year, these are crucial questions.

The Greens achieved its best-ever result in 2021, winning a record eight seats. That didn’t translate into any wins at last summer’s general election, but the party did increase its vote share by 2.8 per cent. It’s an improvement, but it left the party’s overall performance lagging behind that of Reform UK, which – without a Scottish figurehead or slate of policies – captured a seven percent vote share.  

After so long in the political mix, the Scottish Greens have, under Harvie, undoubtedly achieved things the party’s doubters said it never would, winning budget concessions and turning policies like a rent freeze into a reality.

But other measures it has championed, like the Gender Recognition Reform Act and shelved Deposit Return Scheme, have ended not in action but in veto and chaos. It’s a mixed record, and one which has left questions in the mind of the electorate – in the latest polling by YouGov, Harvie’s popularity was at -24, with 44 per cent of those polled unsure what they thought of him.

Whoever follows him will have little time to make a strong impression on the voting public, and to articulate a clear vision of what the Scottish Greens stands for. Rival parties will be watching closely – after all, this party may have a big role to play in determining who holds power in 2026. Polls suggest the SNP will win fewer MSPs and that the presence of Reform will shake up the share of unionist votes. Whether the Greens will once again prop up an SNP administration remains one of the key factors for the next parliament.