Sturgeon ‘must shift left’ for a Holyrood majority

The Scottish National Party must lurch to the left to avoid being rebranded the Tartan Tories, the leader of its main Holyrood allies said.

Patrick Harvie, whose Scottish Greens are widely seen as holding the balance of power for the Nationalist minority administration, said Nicola Sturgeon’s party have cosseted the “timid” centre for too long.

Mr Harvie, the party’s co-convener, is to tell Ms Sturgeon today that she can count on Greens support to secure her Holyrood majority – if she pursues a more radical left-wing agenda.

Speaking at the Scottish Greens conference in Perth, he will say: “To the SNP, we will offer our support if they commit to meaningful, progressive change in Scotland, using the limited powers of the parliament. If they don’t take that opportunity they risk being remembered as a timid government that caved-in to pressure from big business and sided with the Tories.” Pension savers’ money will get stronger protections under the Government’s plans to hand a regulator tough new powers.

The measures in the Pension Schemes Bill follow concerns that some people’s savings could be at risk from master trusts.

In May, the Commons Work and Pensions Committee expressed concern about the development of “potentially unstable” master trusts, which provide occupational pension schemes for multiple employers who are otherwise unconnected.

The committee warned if one of these trusts collapsed, there is a risk faith in automatic enrolment into workplace pensions could be undermined.

Patrick Harvie.