Scottish Greens can’t back budget without ‘green stuff’ – Slater

The Scottish government has said it is still open for discussion with other parties.

Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee told BBC Radio Scotland that there was “a lot of politics” behind Ms Slater’s comments.

He said: “You have to remember this happens every year.

“We had the Greens in government for a short time, but for most of the last 17 years, this has been an annual process.

“The Scottish government works with other parties, in most cases to find common ground, and we’ve managed to get agreements from most of the parties at various times.”

Mr McKee said the SNP had already made “significant inroads” in recent years in tackling Mr Swinney’s priorities.

He added: “This government is focused on the first minister’s four missions – growing the economy, providing excellent public services, tackling climate change and the move towards net zero and tackling child poverty.”