Green MSP who called Supreme Court 'bigoted' faces ousting from Holyrood

Maggie Chapman failed to top her party’s list for the North East region ahead of next year’s Holyrood election, meaning she is unlikely to be re-elected.

Elsewhere, Patrick Harvie, the Green co-leader, saw off a bid from a “radical” faction within the party to have him replaced as lead candidate in Glasgow.

Ms Chapman hit out at the Supreme Court in April following a landmark ruling on the legal definition of a woman. Her comments led to a rare intervention from the Faculty of Advocates, which called them “appalling”.

The Scottish Greens are aiming to return a record number of MSPs next year, building on the eight elected in 2021. Of the seven serving MSPs, six have topped the list in their regions.

But Ms Chapman came behind party activist Guy Ingerson, a former staff member who reportedly made a bullying complaint about her.

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said: “Next year’s election is pivotal for the future of Scotland and our planet, that’s why I am delighted that Scottish Green members have selected such a strong group of lead candidates who will deliver real change in Holyrood.

“Greens have been the only influential left-wing force in the Scottish Parliament for decades, delivering free bus travel for young people, scrapping peak rail fares, and securing tax reforms to ensure the richest in society pay their fair share to support the services we all rely on, like our NHS.

“With more Green MSPs, we can continue to push for the climate emergency to be taken seriously by other parties who want to protect corporate profits rather than our planet, and to fight back against the toxic climate change denialism from the far-right. Scottish Greens won’t give up on our planet’s future.

“Electing a record number of Scottish Greens is the only way to secure the pro-independence majority in Holyrood, and to continue advancing the case to rejoin the European Union. It is a cause that Scottish Green MSPs will continue to make on the doorsteps across the country and in the chamber at Holyrood.”

In April, Mr Harvie announced he will stand down as party co-leader but said he intended to remain an MSP. Ross Greer, a West Scotland MSP, has announced his intention to replace him in the top job. Both politicians have faced internal criticism from the party’s “radical” left.

Ms Slater and Gillian Mackay, a Central Scotland MSP, are also vying to be elected co-leader. Under the party's rules, co-leaders serve two-year terms and one of them has to be a woman.

Mr Greer, who was raised in Bearsden, was one of the architects of the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and the Greens, which collapsed in April last year.

At a leadership launch event in Glasgow earlier this month, the 31-year-old pledged to "take on the super rich" and fight to fix a system "rigged" by the wealthiest.

He also advocated universal free bus travel in Scotland, a move he admitted would initially cost a "substantial" sum.