Nicola Sturgeon has described a new power-sharing agreement between the SNP and the Scottish Greens as “groundbreaking”.

Announcing the new pact during a news briefing at Bute House in Edinburgh, Scotland’s first minister said the move would help to create “a greener, fairer, independent Scotland”.

Ms Sturgeon described the partnership as “groundbreaking in both Scottish and, perhaps even more so, UK politics”, and said it is “about doing politics and governance better”.

“Most importantly though, it is an agreement that meets the challenges and the opportunities of our time,” she added.

The announcement comes following a meeting of the Scottish Cabinet on Friday morning.

The move will see the Greens move into government for the first time anywhere in the UK.

Both parties had been negotiating the agreement since May after the SNP were left one seat short of an overall majority at the Holyrood election.

The SNP and the Scottish Greens have said this will not be a formal coalition, but a process of working together on key issues.