Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Humza Yousaf wants words with Fergus Ewing’s SNP rebels as Green backlash grows

The new SNP leader says he will 'remind' his party that members backed the power-sharing deal, days after a furious outburst from the backbenches.

Humza Yousaf during a visit to Port of Aberdeen. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

First Minister Humza Yousaf is planning talks with a group of SNP rebels who are furious about the SNP-Green deal and its impact on rural Scotland and crucial energy jobs.

The SNP leader says he will “remind” his party’s MSPs of the popularity of the power-sharing deal among members, as he seeks to quell rebellion in the ranks.

Speaking during a visit to Port of Aberdeen on Tuesday, he said the coalition agreement between the two parties is a “good deal”.

The new SNP leader made his second ministerial visit to the region one week after his election to unveil £25 million to help with the shift away from oil and gas.

He admitted it is no surprise why he is visiting the region so quickly, suggesting the party leadership wants to get ahead of criticism in the region.

He claimed oil and gas remains “very important” to Scotland and plays key role in developing renewables.

Wine bar pseudo-intellectuals

Meanwhile, Greens clearly feel emboldened to hit back at Mr Ewing, saying SNP rebels need to get on board with the agreement.

Mr Yousaf’s remarks come just days after Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing hit out at the Greens, dubbing the party “wine bar pseudo-intellectuals”.

The veteran SNP figure took aim at the Greens for their position on oil and gas. He claimed the party wants industries “shut down right now”.

Energy tycoon Sir Ian Wood with Humza Yousaf. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

‘No coincidence’

Mr Yousaf wants to “send a really strong signal” that the economy of the north-east of Scotland is a “priority” for him.

When asked if he plans to speak to Mr Ewing, the first minister said: “I’m looking forward to speaking, not just to Fergus but all of our backbenchers, and our frontbenchers, to remind them of the fact the Bute House Agreement – the co-operation agreement with the Greens – was backed by almost 95% of our party membership.”

Press and Journal political editor Adele Merson interviewing First Minister Humza Yousaf in Aberdeen. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

Mr Yousaf added there should be a “space for disagreement” but added: “I think it’s a good deal with the Greens. It gives us stable government. It gives us a pro-independence majority in parliament and it helps us to be radical and bold in some of the big issues of the day.”

However, North East regional Green MSP Maggie Chapman said Mr Ewing is “in the minority, in his own party, in parliament and across the country.”

She added: “There is absolutely no point in blindly pursuing the status quo in terms of industries and sectors of the 20th century that cannot be sustainable given the crises we face, whether the climate emergency, the cost of living crisis or the nature emergency.”

‘Positive start’

Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce,  said Mr Yousaf’s visit was a “positive start” in rebuilding relations.

The business chief has called for a “reset” in the strained relationship between business and government in recent years.

Speaking at Port of Aberdeen, he said: “The first minister was clear that he will take a different approach to Scottish Government’s energy strategy which is very, very important and sensible.

The First Minister was joined by Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition, Mairi McAllan, Bob Sanguinetti, Chief Executive Officer, Port of Aberdeen and energy giant Sir Ian Wood. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

On the relationship between the SNP and the Greens, Mr Borthwick said: “It’s no secret that the Green party had a number of stated anti-commerce policies.

“A lot of things that we’re seeing come now into statute have been brought forward by the Green party and they are not pro-business.”

Guy Ingerson, co-convener of Aberdeen Greens, said the “personal attacks” on the party have “no basis in reality”.

He said: “I grew up in Moray, my family have been farmers or worked the boats.

“My party and I wish to see rural Scotland thrive. Last year we saw Green councillors elected from Shetland to Oban, the Highlands to the Borders.”

North-east Green MSP Maggie Chapman said Mr Ewing is “in the minority, in his own party, in parliament and across the country.”

The visit to Aberdeen came on the day we revealed the Scottish Government was announcing an extra £25 million to help with the shift toward renewable energy.

The country’s national investment bank, which is owned by the government, will be expected to dish out the money to projects aiming to support clean energy jobs.

Conversation