Greens clear that progressive values must be ‘necessity’ for next first minister

Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater spoke at the party’s spring conference.

Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater both made clear they could not work with Kate Forbes if she becomes Scotland’s next first minister (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Scottish Greens have sent the clearest signal yet that they would not work with Kate Forbes if she is elected as the country’s next first minister.

Party co-leader Patrick Harvie told his party’s conference that for the Greens a “sincere commitment to progressive values cannot be an optional extra in a choice of first minister”, saying instead that this was “necessity”.

Fellow co-leader Lorna Slater, meanwhile, said the party would not stay in the Scottish Government with the SNP “at any cost” as she said the Greens would “never be a party that is prepared to put our principles to one side”.