NICOLA Sturgeon has been accused of gambling with people’s jobs by handing power to the Scottish Greens in an act of "pure economic vandalism".

As the First Minister prepares to install Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater as Green ministers, the Scottish Tories stepped up their attack on the power-sharing deal.

Short of a coalition, the joint government arrangement between the SNP and Greens is due to go before MSPs tomorrow, when Holyrood returns from summer recess.

Under the five-year plan, the SNP and Green wil work together on a shared policy programme aimed at making Scotland fairer, greener and independent.

It will see the creation of the first Green ministers anywhere in the UK.

Both the SNP’s ruling body and Green party membership approved the arrangement, which Ms Sturgeon said would “cement the pro-independence majority at Holyrood”.

With 64 of 129 MSPs, the SNP do not need the seven Green MSPs to govern, having already run two minority adnminstrations.

However the tie-up means an end to votes of confidence in ministers and budget uncertainties, and burnishes Ms Sturgeon’s green credentials before the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.

The Scottish Tories, now the only party at Holyrood never to have held power in Scotland since devolution, have vowed to oppose the “coalition of chaos”.

Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, his party’s spokesman on Covid recovery, said: “In the middle of the biggest economic crisis in our lifetime, it’s deeply worrying that Nicola Sturgeon is turning to anti-jobs, anti-business extremists.

“It is pure economic vandalism to hand power to Green MSPs who have admitted they want to limit growth and hold back Scotland’s economy.

“Nicola Sturgeon is taking a nationalist gamble with people’s jobs. She is bringing in radicals, all in the hopes of ramping up her push for another divisive referendum.

“By offering the extremist Green Party a seat at the table, Nicola Sturgeon has shown her desperate position after failing to secure a majority in the last election.”

The SNP have previously described Tory complaints about the deal as "sour grapes", given the Tories' failure to achieve powers in 22 years of devolution.

The Greens have called it a "historic step" that will improve lives.