Nicola Sturgeon to delay important speech as First Minister finalises Scottish Greens deal

Nicola Sturgeon has delayed the unveiling of her government's policy plans for the next year in order to finalise the agreement with the Scottish Greens.

The First Minister was scheduled to announce her programme for government when the Scottish Parliament returned from its summer recess on Tuesday, August 31.

According to government officials the policy programme is complete and won't be changed following the agreement between the Greens and the SNP.

Co-leaders of the Greens, Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, signed a deal with Sturgeon which would create a government majority for independence in the Holyrood chamber.

The deal was agreed by the SNP 's national executive on Saturday following the press conference last week, while Green members will get a vote on it this weekend.

Nicola Sturgeon (centre) and Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie (left) and Lorna Slater (right) at Bute House (PA)

If agreed then it would be the first time a green party has been in government in the UK.

Programmes for government are traditionally announced during the first week of the parliament following the summer recess, however it will be delayed this year.

The programme is expected to reveal plans for a second independence referendum.

It comes after a draft bill was published just before the election in May.

The document stated that the timing of a vote, which SNP Ministers believe should occur after the pandemic, should be a matter for Holyrood to decide.

It also claims that the question, “Should Scotland be an independent country?", should be the same as the one used during the 2014 referendum.

Commenting on the delay, Labour's Neil Bibby told The Times: "It’s disappointing that the Scottish government has seen fit to kick programme for government into the long grass and instead focus on self-congratulation and grandstanding.

“The people of Scotland need a government focused on our national recovery not self-serving political deals.”

The Scottish government said: “Parliamentary business is agreed by the cross-party business bureau, and the programme for government will be scheduled on that basis.”

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