Bute House Agreement to remain until 2026, former SNP Westminster leader says

Ian Blackford said the agreement ‘remains the right thing to do’.
Ian Blackford says the Bute House Agreement will remain in place until 2026 (Andrew Milligan/PA)
PA Wire
Ryan McDougall13 August 2023
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The SNP-Greens Bute House Agreement will stay in place until 2026, the SNP’s former Westminster leader has said.

Speaking at a live talk show with co-hosts Ian Dale and Jacqui Smith on Sunday, Ian Blackford MP said the agreement “remains the right thing to do”.

Speaking to the audience at the Pleasance EICC, he said: “The Bute House Agreement was the right thing to do, and it will remain in place over the lifetime of this parliament.”

Mr Blackford then dismissed the Alba party’s idea of pro-independence parties coming together as a United Scotland.

He said: “Let’s just remember that we’ve had the council elections not that long ago in Scotland, 1,100 seats up for grabs – the Alba Party won zero.

“So the idea that there’s scope for an electoral alliance where our cause will be assisted by making an alignment with other parties I’m afraid is for the birds.”

Mr Blackford then spoke of any possibility of Alex Salmond returning to the SNP.

He said: “Alex Salmond is not in the SNP, he’s in another party. There is no pathway for Alex Salmond to return.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in