THE Alba Party have lodged a motion of no confidence in Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie.
It comes just days after the party announced its members would vote on whether or not to continue the Bute House agreement.
Now, Alba’s Holyrood leader Ash Regan has lodged a motion of no confidence in the Green minister.
Should it be backed by 25 other MSPs, it will lead to a vote on whether MSPs have confidence in the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights.
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Regan says she has called for the vote in Harvie after he “sided with ideology over evidence after NHS clinicians paused puberty blockers at Sandyford, in line with the Cass review”.
Commenting on her motion, Regan (below) said: “The motion of no confidence speaks for itself. The Scottish Greens wish to side with ideology over clinical evidence.
“I am hopeful that MSPs will put good governance first, ahead of party lines and support the motion.”
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday show recently, Harvie was asked about the Cass report and was asked if he accepted it as a “scientific document”.
He replied: “I’ve seen far too many criticisms of the report to be able to say that.”
We told last week how the prescription of puberty blocking medicines has been “paused” in Scotland for under-18s.
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The use of puberty blockers for children in England was also ended following the findings of the Cass Review into trans healthcare.
Speaking to the BBC, Harvie said: ““While some people would like to pretend that puberty blockers are being handed out like sweeties, we are talking about a very small number of young people, who at the moment will be feeling devastated that they won't have access to the healthcare they need, so first of all, our thoughts are with them.
"When it comes to the Cass Report, it's very clearly been politicised by those trying to abolish trans people’s healthcare, trans people's rights, and exclude trans people from a whole host of public spaces.
“Not only the Scottish Greens, but the Scottish Government are not part of that culture war against trans people.
“It is so reminiscent of the homophobia of the 1980s and 1990s".
A Scottish Greens spokesperson said: “Ash Regan is to equality what Liz Truss is to economics and no one here will ever be lectured by her or her ultra reactionary outfit about how to care for trans young people.”
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