Harvie to step down as co-leader of Scottish Greens – Daily Business

Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie has announced that he will not stand in the party’s forthcoming leadership election.

Mr Harvie, who has been a Green MSP since 2003, was elected as the party’s co-convener in 2008 and as its first co-leader team in 2019, alongside Lorna Slater.

In 2021 they became the first Green politicians in the UK to have roles in government. While in office Mr Harvie introduced the rent freeze and spearheaded the controversial Housing Bill which property professionals are attempting to amend.

His position on rent controls, in particular, have been a source of frustration with landlords and investors who blame the system for holding back investment in the sector and forcing some property owners to sell up, which has led to a shortage of stock and a rise in rents.

Along with Ms Slater, he was ejected from government by former First Minister Humza Yousaf who ended the Bute House Agreement that gave the Green party its first ministerial roles.

Mr Harvie will continue to sit as an MSP, and intends to put himself forward for selection by party members for the 2026 election.

He said: “It has been an extraordinary privilege to hold leadership roles in the Scottish Greens, first as co-convener and then as part of our first ever co-leader team.

“At the start of devolution, few people regarded the Greens as a serious political force. But as we have grown, learned and developed we have become the most significant, sustained new movement in Scottish politics for generations. Given the growing urgency of the climate emergency, that movement is greatly needed.”