A former member of the Scottish Government has urged the SNP to call time on its powersharing agreement with the Greens, insisting the two parties should go their “own separate ways”.

Alex Neil, who served in both Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond’s cabinets, said voters now think the SNP has “lost the plot a bit”.

With polls suggesting Humza Yousaf’s party is facing losses at this year’s general election, the former Scottish health secretary insisted the party could win back some supporters if it ended its powersharing deal with the Greens.

He spoke out on the issue as the Greens prepare to hold a vote among members on whether the Bute House Agreement – the deal struck between the two parties in 2021 which brought the Greens into the government – should continue.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters