London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Democracy should be only in China’s Hong Kong, not on in UK’s’ Scotland: Sunak government threatens to block Scottish gender recognition law

Democracy should be only in China’s Hong Kong, not on in UK’s’ Scotland: Sunak government threatens to block Scottish gender recognition law

Rishi Sunak is threatening to block a new law that would make Scotland the first part of the UK to introduce a self-identification system for people who want to change gender. In other words: the unelected British prime minister criticizing China for undermining democracy in Hong Kong, while doing just the same against the colonial territory of Scotland…

Rishi is not Scottish, so its non of his business what laws the Scottish people want to adopt or not. It’s about time to allow Scotland to become a democracy, for a change, and hopefully one day also UK will become a real and not fake democracy.
In a significant escalation that brings tensions around transgender rights into the constitutional arena, Westminster made clear it would consider a “nuclear option” of blocking the bill from going for royal assent, a move that would enrage supporters of the changes and nationalists.

The Scottish government pledged to “vigorously contest” any such intervention.

The first minister and SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, called Sunak and his cabinet “democracy deniers” after the supreme court ruled in October that Holyrood could not legally hold another independence referendum without Westminster’s approval. The ruling has resulted in a polling boost for independence over the last month.

The Scottish government hailed what it called “a historic day for equality” after a vote on Thursday afternoon in which MSPs overwhelmingly backed plans to make it easier and less intrusive for individuals to legally change their gender, and to extend the streamlined system for obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) to 16- and 17-year-olds.

But immediately after the 86-39 vote, which followed three days of intense and at times emotional debate at Holyrood, the Scottish secretary, Alister Jack, said: “We share the concerns that many people have regarding certain aspects of this bill, and in particular the safety issues for women and children.

“We will look closely at that, and also the ramifications for the 2010 Equality Act and other UK-wide legislation, in the coming weeks – up to and including a section 35 order stopping the bill going for royal assent if necessary.”

The women and equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, who met her Scottish government counterpart, Shona Robison, on Monday to discuss the bill, said following the vote that the Scottish government had “not addressed the full implications of their bill – especially on the lives of women and girls”.

She added: “The UK government is now looking at provisions that can prompt reconsideration and allow MSPs to address these issues.”

While gender recognition is a devolved matter, equalities legislation – which the new law will interact with – is reserved to Westminster.

Jack’s intervention follows UK government briefings in the run-up to the vote that the new law would create “legal chaos” and result in “gender tourism” across the border with England.

Section 35 of the Scotland Act allows the Scottish secretary to make an order prohibiting Holyrood’s presiding officer from submitting a bill for royal assent if they have reasonable grounds to believe it would have an adverse effect on the operation of the law as it applies to reserved matters.

It is almost certain that such a move would be challenged by the Scottish government, either by judicial review or a direct reference to the supreme court, resulting in the second legal battle between the two governments in recent months.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “The bill as passed is within legislative competence, and was backed by an overwhelming majority, with support from all parties. Any attempt by the UK government to undermine the democratic will of the Scottish parliament will be vigorously contested by the Scottish government.”

Westminster government law officers will further study the implications of the bill before any decision is made on the next step, with Jack’s threat to block royal assent seen as not inevitable but very much possible.

“That’s the nuclear option, if you like,” one UK government source said. “The ideal, of course, is that we can point out to the Scottish government all the constitutional issues the bill creates as it stands, and they can amend it before it’s fully enacted. But we’re looking very seriously at all possibilities.”

Immediately after the vote, a spokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission called on the UK government to provide clarity on whether Scottish GRCs would be recognised in the rest of the UK.

The constitutional dimension will amplify tensions around the bill, over which there was the biggest SNP backbench revolt in the party’s 15 years in power. As a mark of the tensions, the debate was disrupted minutes before the final vote by protesters in the public gallery.

Nine SNP MSPs voted against their government, including Ash Regan, a former minister who quit in protest at a previous vote, but the bill passed comfortably with support from the Scottish Greens, Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Two Labour members – who were whipped to vote in favour – also rebelled, while three Tories, who were allowed a free vote, supported it.

The bill passed in a specially extended session, six years after it was first mooted by Sturgeon, who has been a consistent and passionate supporter of the change. The bill followed two of the largest public consultations in the history of the Scottish parliament.

Proposing the final version of the bill to parliament, Robison insisted that applying for a GRC under the new system would continue to be “a substantial and significant legal process”, with safeguards strengthened during the passage of the bill, and she said the bill “doesn’t change public policy … around provision of single-sex spaces and services”.

She told MSPs: “Trans rights are not in competition with women’s rights and, as so often before, we can improve things for everyone when those discriminated against act as allies not opponents.”

But the Scottish Conservatives’ equalities spokesperson, Rachael Hamilton, told Robison that her government had not brought the people of Scotland with them, and that “in the rush to make the process a little easier for trans people, the government is making it easier for criminal men to attack women”.

During the third-stage amendment process, which ran to two marathon sessions ending after midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Holyrood witnessed an unprecedented level of cross-party collaboration as members moved to address concerns about abusive males taking advantage of the new system.

Vic Valentine, the manager of Scottish Trans, said the “simple but important” changes would allow trans people to live “with the dignity and recognition that everyone deserves”.

They added: “Trans people across Scotland today will be feeling pleased and relieved that this bill has passed, after many years of difficult public debate that has often felt like people are talking about us and not to us.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×