Sturgeon Viewed as a More Effective First Minister Than Swinney, Says Greens Co-Leader
Nicola Sturgeon was considered a better first minister than John Swinney, according to Gillian Mackay, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, who were formerly partners with the SNP in government.
Mackay asserted that under Swinney's leadership, the Scottish government had shifted away from a left-wing agenda.
A power-sharing agreement between the SNP and the Scottish Greens, known as the Bute House Agreement, was ended by then First Minister Humza Yousaf in 2024.
"I think the government's probably shifted more to the centre than it certainly was under Nicola," Mackay told the BBC's Scotcast podcast. "We think he should be going further and faster on an awful lot of things."
When asked by Scotcast presenter Martin Geissler whether the "left-leaning" Nicola Sturgeon or Humza Yousaf had been the better first minister, Mackay responded:
"Nicola was better than either of the other two for me.
That might be partly because I see more of my politics in Nicola than I do in Humza or John."
Mackay also emphasized the need to rebuild trust between the Scottish Greens and the SNP before the parties could collaborate in government again.
"After the way the Bute House Agreement was ended, I think trust in certain places was broken," she said.
These remarks were made during Mackay's interview on the BBC podcast Scotcast, part of a series of discussions with party leaders ahead of the May Holyrood election.
The episode is accessible on and other podcast platforms.
