Imagine what Scotland could achieve without being hindered by Westminster

Johnson took office to a huge fanfare. We were all told he was a uniquely charismatic leader, that he was a natural winner and that he would revive the Tories with an optimistic vision for a future outside the EU. In reality, he has been a disaster.

He may have finally been brought down by partygate and his own lack of self-control, but his political, social and economic failures will be with us for years to come.

He is leaving Downing Street at a time of runaway inflation, skyrocketing prices and the worst cost of living crisis for generations. All across the UK, there are families being plunged into a spiral of poverty and debt. Millions are being forced to choose between freezing and starving and many are utterly terrified about what the future holds.

And what has Johnson done about it? Absolutely nothing. He has sat back and watched the misery rippling out to every postcode and community. He barely even pretends to care. His focus isn’t on the wellbeing of the country or even his constituents; it’s on whatever self-aggrandising venture he undertakes next.

Boris Johnson speaking at COP26 in Glasgow

Being a politician is a privilege. You are elected to be a representative and that comes with a huge responsibility. You have a far greater opportunity to deliver change and enhance people’s lives from within Parliament, and especially in government, than you ever can from outside.

With all of the immense wealth, power and resources of Whitehall, Johnson could have waged a generation-defining campaign against poverty, inequality and deprivation and built a Covid recovery to be proud of and a legacy for the ages.

He could have recognised the scale of the climate catastrophe and taken the huge strides that are needed to decarbonise our economy and fundamentally change the relationship between government and the oil and gas companies.

But, despite a big working majority and a huge amount of goodwill from the press, he has done none of this.

When I look at his possible successors I don’t feel any more optimistic. They are both terrible prospects. They have both supported and endorsed every single failure and every cut. They were right at the heart of his government and voted with him while he delivered a disastrous Brexit, inflicted racist deportations and a hostile environment on migrant communities, and decimated the welfare state.

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In Scotland, we are doing everything we can to mitigate the impact of Tory cruelty and incompetence. We are already spending hundreds of millions of pounds every year trying to mitigate the impact of Tory policies, whether it is the rape clause or the bedroom tax.

This time last year we entered a new era of Scottish politics. My Green colleagues and I may only have been in government for

12 months but we are making our mark and showing how much better things can be. With Greens in government, we are doing things differently.

While the Tories have cut benefits and rewarded their friends and cronies, we have doubled the Scottish Child Payment, which is now worth more than £1000 for every eligible child. This has provided a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of young people and their families.

Johnson’s government has sat back and watched as child poverty has soared but we have introduced free bus travel for young people, saving some families hundreds of pounds, and have ensured that all Scottish Government contracts pay a Real Living Wage.

When it comes to the environment, Johnson has promised the earth but it has all been hot air. He used the COP26 climate conference as a promotional exercise, with lots of photo-ops and rhetoric but no delivery.

The climate emergency will be the defining issue of this generation and all future generations, yet many of his words have already turned to dust. He and his Cabinet colleagues promised bold and transformative climate action in one breath while demanding evermore drilling in the North Sea with the next.

Whether it is Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak who takes office next week, they will only offer more of the same. In contrast, next week will see the publication of Scotland’s Programme for Government for 2022/23.

It may be a tough backdrop but we will be offering more of the same positive and progressive changes we so badly need. We will continue to work for Scotland and for people and the planet. But, at the same time, we know that we are severely limited by the constraints of devolution.

Every day I am at work, I see the damage that is being done by a Tory government we did not vote for and can’t remove without independence. I have tried to navigate the roadblocks that come with devolution and have seen the extent to which we are being held back.

The reality is that our Parliament doesn’t have the financial levers it needs to fully respond to a crisis like the one being inflicted from Westminster. We can’t borrow money or run a deficit. Our tax-raising powers are very limited and we had already been hit with a real-terms cut to our block grant, before inflation was as high as it is now.

Every day, MPs and MSPs face choices that will have a direct impact on millions of lives. Boris Johnson may have used his position to spread chaos and destitution, but we are using ours to help people and to make a difference.