‘Gender law row is Scotland’s get-out’

NICOLA STURGEON has “picked a fight” with Westminster over gender reforms to show why Scotland should pull out of the UK, a constitutional expert has warned.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Scottish First Minister are heading for a showdown in the courts over a law to make it easier for people to change their legally recognised sex in Scotland. The UK Government will use its de facto veto on Scottish legislation for the first time due to concerns about the impact on equality laws in Britain.

The stand-off comes after the UK Government refused to grant the SNP permission to host an independence referendum, backed by a Supreme Court ruling.

Alan Trench, who has contributed to major research on the future of the UK, warned that Scottish ministers wanted to boost the case for independence.

He said: “It has been deliberately set up by the Scottish Government, I think, as a way of picking a fight with Westminster, to illustrate all the points about the inadequacy of devolution, the importance of Scotland having independence to deliver Scottish values and being unable to accommodate those within a UK framework.”

The Scottish law lowers the age at which someone can apply for a gender recognition certificate from 18 to 16, while removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Conservative Common Sense group of MPS, said it was “frankly undesirable” that young people should be able to change their recognised gender so easily.

He said: “On the issue of principle, what Scotland decided was quite wrong. And on the constitutional matter, their complaint is quite wrong too.”

The gender issue has fractured Scotland’s unionist movement, election guru Sir John Curtice noted – with most

‘PICKED A FIGHT’: Nicola Sturgeon

Labour and Liberal Democrat Members of the Scottish Parliament supporting the law and most Conservatives opposed.

However, he doubts that the controversy will end up determining whether Scotland stays in the Union.

He said: “Does Scotland think it’s better off inside the UK but outside the EU, or better off outside the UK but inside the EU? Public opinion is 50:50 at the moment, neither side is ahead in that debate.”

Meanwhile, minister for women and equalities Kemi Badenoch said she opposes gender self-identification, claiming it puts women and girls at risk from predators.

Ms Badenoch, who ran for the Tory leadership, said she is worried sexual predators would be able to “exploit any system that says you can just say you are what you are”.

Her comments come as a poll found just 15 per cent in England supported the proposed Scottish laws, while 19 per cent in Scotland backed them.