Lorna Slater, who led the failed deposit return scheme campaign, has been deposed as co-leader of the Scottish Green Party whose members have opted for a partnership of Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer.
Patrick Harvie, the other co-leader, chose not to seek re-election. He spent 17 years in the role, while Ms Slater had held the post alongside him since 2019. Both held ministerial roles as part of the Bute House agreement with the SNP.
Ms Slater was heavily criticised over her handling of the recycling project which was dropped after intervention by the UK government whom she blamed for its failure. A legal case is being pursued to claw back money invested in the scheme.
Today, in a final stage vote for the leadership, she lost narrowly to Mr Greer who will partner Ms Mackay after she won the first round of voting.
Ms Mackay, 33, had been a vocal critic of the closure of the Grangemouth refinery, despite her party being opposed to oil & gas. Today she made no reference to the facility in her acceptance speech.
“From free bus travel for people under 22, increasing the roll out of free school meals, restoring Scotland’s natural environment, the introduction of Safe Access Zones, and the scrapping of peak rail fares, the Scottish Greens have already started improving the lives of millions. But we can and will go further,” she said.
“We need to be clear; the Scottish Greens have delivered real change, and we are the party for you. For many, the cost-of-living crisis is still taking its toll, but the focus from our governments and our media continues to distract from the real issues facing working-people.
“As a disabled woman and a new mum, I am getting to know some of the struggles that so many families are facing. That’s why I will champion a four-day week, better parental pay, and universal basic income. These are policies that will transform lives.”
Aged 31, Mr Greer is the youngest leader of a party at Holyrood since the devolved parliament was set up in 1999. He has been a vocal opponent of the Flamingoland project at Loch Lomond and has demanded a wealth tax.
He said: “About a decade ago there was a real sense of hope in Scotland. People really believed that this could be that better, fairer, greener country. But that sense of hope has all but disappeared, and we should be honest about that.
“Whether it is through the re-election of Tory governments that we didn’t vote for or a Labour government that looks like another one of those Tory governments, Brexit or even Trump.
“The Scottish Green Party will bring back that hope. And we will bring it back through action. We will cut people’s bills and tackle the climate crisis. That’s why I have proposed ideas during this contest like universal free bus travel.
“We shouldn’t be afraid to make the super-rich pay for the transformation that we know our society needs. For example by ending the tax breaks that the aristocracy get for their shooting estates.
“Fixing Scotland’s problems means replacing a system that is rigged in favour of the super-rich with one that works for people and planet.”
TOTAL NO. OF VOTES: 950
1st PREFERENCES: (% of vote)
Dominic Ashmole: 7%
Gillian Mackay: 34%
Lorna Slater: 28%
Ross Greer: 31%
Gillian MacKay was elected at Stage 1.
At stage 2 Dominic Ashmole was then excluded and votes transferred to the remaining candidates.
FINAL STAGE VOTES:
Lorna Slater: (32%)
Ross Greer: (33.4%)
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