Former Nicola Sturgeon aide Liz Lloyd says Scotland in danger of losing its leadership on climate issues

Liz Lloyd said there had to be the ‘political will and the strength’ to drive change

Nicola Sturgeon's former chief of staff has warned Scotland is "in danger of losing" its leadership on climate issues, in an apparent swipe at Humza Yousaf’s administration.

In a rare intervention, Liz Lloyd said there had to be the "political will and the strength" to drive change, adding: "I'm not sure we are pushing as hard as we should do right now."

She referenced recent political rows over the deposit return recycling scheme and congestion charges.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with her chief of staff Liz Lloyd

Ms Lloyd made the comments on The Unofficial Report podcast, which is hosted by Women in Public Affairs Scotland. She was asked how Scotland was doing on its journey to net zero, and whether it is leading the way.

She said: “In the three months I’ve been out so far, I have avoided commenting publicly on any policy out of a promise to my former colleagues that I will not cause them trouble, that I might be about to break. I think we have led – it’s one of the positions I’m really proud that Scotland has led on – and we have taken action. I think we are in danger of losing some of that leadership.”

Ms Lloyd said there has been “a bit of pushback” against green issues across the UK and further afield. She said: "I’m not sure we’re in a place in Scotland where we’re going to be able to have a sensible debate about how we transform transport, and how we transform how we heat our homes. I hope we are.”

She continued: "Some of the things you see people arguing over – we’re having fights about glass bottles, we’re having fights about congestion charges, which exist in so many countries in so many cities. We all left the pandemic thinking ‘isn’t it nice when the air is a bit cleaner and the roads are a bit clearer?’ And all of a sudden we’re all fighting for cars again.

"I think we’ve slightly lost our way. I hope that we can get that back on track. It’s one bit that is worrying me at the moment. I think we are in danger of letting that leadership go, because we’re maybe just a little bit scared and not quite sure how to persuade people of what they need to do – actually not people, what companies and councils and governments and society as a whole needs to do.”

The former adviser said the solutions exist and leaders “just need to find a way to do them that involves taking people with you”.

She said: "It’s an exercise in persuasion, in marketing, in behaviour that has happened in other places, and actually there’s so many ways to show people that there are benefits to doing this. But you have to have the political will and the strength and the propulsion to drive it through, and to take on those who don’t want this change because they have vested interests in not seeing the change. And that’s where I’m not sure we are pushing as hard as we should do right now.”

Ms Lloyd was Ms Sturgeon’s chief of staff between 2015 and 2021. She later served as the former first minister’s strategic policy and political adviser, with a focus on issues including net zero. Ms Lloyd left the government when Mr Yousaf was elected as the new SNP leader and First Minister at the end of March.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The First Minister underlined his commitment to climate leadership and maximising the opportunities of the green economy by making this part of one of three critical missions in his policy prospectus.

“Scotland continues to decarbonise faster than the UK average. We are leading the way in key delivery areas such as industry and electricity supply, where – unlike the rest of the UK – emissions have continued to come down. We will be introducing a draft of our new Climate Change Plan later this year, which will contain even greater ambition while steering our emissions reduction pathway out to 2040.

“The race to net zero will continue to be driven by government, but it cannot happen without individuals, communities and businesses taking steps as part of a national effort to tackle the climate emergency. That is why we continue to prioritise engagement to support individuals and communities to take climate action and shape our transition.”