Outrage

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday any move by London to block Scotland's gender reform bill would be an "outrage" as British Prime ...

Any such move would likely be subject to legal challenge. The first minister said a challenge would be more evidence of the British government's "complete contempt for the Scottish Parliament and for devolution in principle". Sunak said in December it was reasonable for the British government to look at the consequences of Scotland's reforms for women and children's safety in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Nicola Sturgeon has said the UK government would be using trans people as a "political weapon" if it decides to block Scottish gender reforms.

The timescale involved would also be reduced. She said: "If he backed any move by the government to block this he would be showing utter contempt for his own Scottish party as well as the Scottish Parliament." The first minister also said it would "embolden" the UK government to use Section 35 powers on other issues, which she described as "a very slippery slope indeed". Ms Sturgeon said the significance the UK government using Section 35 powers would "go beyond the particular subject matter" of gender reforms. "If there is a decision to challenge, then in my view then it will quite simply be a political decision and it will be using trans people, already one of the most vulnerable stigmatised groups in our society, as a political weapon. Nicola Sturgeon has said the UK government would be using trans people as a "political weapon" if it decides to block Scottish gender reforms.

Move would show 'complete contempt' for the Scottish parliament, Nicola Sturgeon says, who accuses Keir Starmer of being 'pale imitation' of Tories.

This is a procedure that has never been used under nearly 25 years of devolution and is contrary to a bill that was overwhelmingly passed by the Scottish parliament by members of all parties. Angela Rayner promised on Monday that Labour would repeal the government’s anti-strikes bill, saying it was one of the most “indefensible and foolish pieces of legislation to come before this house in modern times”. The business secretary, Grant Shapps, said life would be made “harder for every single family” in the country if the government agreed to “inflation-busting” pay demands. Those prices going up throughout the rest of the world, and here included, have also pushed up wage claims. Speaking outside Downing Street at the protest against the new strikes bill, Mick Lynch told Keir Starmer to avoid trying to be a “vanilla politician” and back workers’ rights. Talks will continue this week between the rail industry and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) amid renewed optimism that a deal can be reached without further strikes. The UK government has been accused of using the “nuclear option” after Westminster stepped in to block Holyrood legislation. Nicola Sturgeon has described Westminster’s move to block the gender bill as “a full-frontal attack” on the Scottish parliament. I cannot recall a measure that is at once so irrational and so insulting. The secretary of state for Scotland, Alister Jack, announced that he would use provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 to halt the gender recognition bill after a review by UK government lawyers. Thousands of schools in England and Wales are set to close in February after teachers voted to strike, union leaders have announced, as nurses also prepare for further stoppages. Nurses will stage two more strikes next month as a row with the government over pay shows no clear sign of reaching a resolution.

Nicola Sturgeon has said it would be an “outrage” if the UK Government tries to block controversial reforms to the gender recognition process in Scotland.

“I think it is that serious. She said: “If there is a decision to challenge in my view it will be quite simply a political decision and I think it will be using trans people – already one of the most vulnerable, stigmatised groups in our society – as a political weapon. Sturgeon said: “If we see a challenge this week we will be seeing yet more evidence from this UK Government of complete contempt for the Scottish Parliament and for devolution in principle.