IAN Blackford has apologised to the Scottish Greens for the handling of the termination of the Bute House Agreement.
Speaking on the Laura Kuenssberg Show, the former SNP Westminster leader said the way in which the First Minister ended the power-sharing deal with the Greens could have been handled better.
“I apologise for what has happened this week,” Blackford said.
“I think we could have handled this in a different way, and I’m sure the First Minister would say that as well.”
It comes as the First Minister is appealing to all party leaders in Holyrood to meet with him, in a bid to gain their support for the upcoming votes of no confidence.
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Speaking to the National on Friday, Humza Yousaf said he understood the hurt felt by the Scottish Greens.
"I would say to our colleagues in the Greens that I’ve heard their anger and upset and I understand it," he said.
“I didn’t intend to make them as angry as they are."
Blackford directly addressed Scottish Greens MSPs as they decide whether to back the motions of no confidence in both Yousaf and the Scottish Government.
“This morning, I want to appeal to our friends, our colleagues in the Green Party to recognise where we are,” Blackford said.
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“We are colleagues together in arguing for independence for Scotland, we’ve pushed through legislation where there’s been mutual support – for example, we’ve taken 100,000 young people out of poverty with the child payment.
“I would ask them to think very carefully ahead of this week, about the values that we both have.
Appealing to Scottish Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, Blackford said: “Think very carefully about where we are today, think about the obligations that we have to get to our climate reduction targets for 2045, things we can work on together.
“I would say to them today, don’t throw that away this week. Show your faith and trust in the First Minister.
"We are where we are, but we can make sure that this Government can deliver on the priorities of the people of Scotland if we make sure that Humza Yousaf remains our First Minister.”
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