Meeting of the Parliament 22 January 2026 [Draft]
I congratulate and thank Sarah Boyack for her work on the bill. I regret that today looks like it will be a missed opportunity. We need to begin with a recognition that long-term thinking is not, in fact, happening. We are not collectively taking into account the interests of future generations in our decision making in the way that we should. Right-wing opposition to sustainable development and wellbeing economics is not anything new. It is sad that the minister is relying on support from the Conservatives’ side of the chamber to find a majority to block the bill.
Differences between the Green and SNP positions are not news, either. The Green manifesto supported the creation of a future generations commissioner, and the SNP manifesto did not. When we sat down to negotiate the Bute house agreement, we said that we would keep the issue open in the hope that we might reach agreement as the issue developed. I regret that that opportunity was ended when the SNP broke that agreement, but there was still an opportunity for the Government to find a way to make progress, even if it meant reaching a compromise with the member behind the bill, instead of acting as a block. The Government has chosen not to do that. That stands in contrast to the SNP having never been reluctant to impose new statutory duties on public bodies to prioritise economic growth, and I can therefore see no principled reason for the Government not to support duties regarding sustainable development.