London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jun 11, 2026

MP Joanna Cherry threatens legal action over cancelled show

MP Joanna Cherry threatens legal action over cancelled show

SNP MP Joanna Cherry is threatening to take legal action against an Edinburgh venue which cancelled a Fringe show in which she was due to appear.

She says she will take "whatever legal action is necessary" unless The Stand admits that it acted unlawfully, issues an apology and reinstates the event.

The venue had cancelled the show after staff said they were not comfortable with her views on transgender issues.

The Stand has not yet responded to Ms Cherry's comments.

The Edinburgh South MP had been due to take part in a series of In Conversation With... events in August.

Ms Cherry is a critic of Scotland's gender recognition reform plans, which make it easier for people to change their legally-recognised sex.

Last week she told BBC Scotland she felt she had been "cancelled and no-platformed" because she was a lesbian who holds gender-critical views.

She said she had been "greatly heartened" by the support she had received since the story became public, and had decided to seek legal advice.

"I am prepared to take whatever legal action is necessary to vindicate my right not to be misrepresented and not to be discriminated against," she said.

"This is not about money. My primary goal is to have the actions of The Stand acknowledged as unlawful and to ensure the event proceeds.

"I have asked The Stand to apologise to me too. If they don't agree with my reasonable requests, I intend to ask the court to decide on the issue."

Scotland's gender recognition reform bill sparked controversy


Ms Cherry said the decision to cancel her show was symptomatic of a wider problem in society.

"I am very concerned that those who hold perfectly legitimate views on a variety of issues, including women like me, are regularly being misrepresented, de-platformed and, in some cases, facing damage to or the loss of our livelihoods," she added.

"This is often accompanied by online abuse and threats.

"The debate on gender self-identification is a very important one which must be allowed to take place, but I am a woman of many parts who was engaged to talk about my political life in general and I see the cancelling of my one-hour event as the thin end of the wedge."

Last week The Stand said that a number of its key operational staff, including venue management and box office personnel, were unwilling to work on the event.

"We will ensure that their views are respected," it said in a statement.

"We will not compel our staff to work on this event and so have concluded that the event is unable to proceed on a properly staffed, safe and legally-compliant basis.

"We advised the show producers, Fair Pley Productions, of this operational issue and they advised Joanna Cherry that it is no longer possible to host the event in our venue."

The Stand - which was co-founded by SNP MP Tommy Sheppard - said it did not endorse the views of any participant in the In Conversation With... series, which is organised by independent producer Fair Pley.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Office for National Statistics Adopts Supermarket Checkout Data for Inflation Measurement
Applied Atomics Launches With $500 Million Space Infrastructure Order Book
BYD Plans Nationwide Rollout of Ultra-Fast EV Charging Network
UK House Prices Unexpectedly Fall in May
CBI Warns UK Growth Is Becoming Increasingly Dependent on Public Spending
Makerfield By-Election Fuels Speculation Over Labour’s Future Leadership
Britain Declines to Join EU SAFE Defence Fund
UK Unveils 2040 Emissions Target Despite Strong Political Opposition
Government Orders Full Review of Palantir’s NHS Data Contract
UK Borrowing Costs Climb as Markets Price in Further Bank of England Rate Rises
Resident Doctors Confirm Five-Day NHS Strike Across England
Violent Anti-Immigrant Riots in Belfast Spark Political and Diplomatic Tensions
United Kingdom Sees Recovery in Horizon Europe Research Funding Share to 9.3 Percent
UK Inflation Holds at 2.8 Percent as Office for Budget Responsibility Flags Persistent Price Pressures
United Kingdom Launches National Anti-Fraud Framework to Combat Rising Pension Scam Losses
United Kingdom Expands Sanctions on Israeli Groups While Funding Palestinian Authority Salaries and Gaza Mine Clearance
United Kingdom Issues Three-Month Ultimatum to Major Technology Firms Over Child Online Safety Controls
United Kingdom Government Moves Toward Blanket Social Media Ban for Children Under Sixteen
Widespread Anti-Immigration Rioting Erupts Across Belfast After Knife Attack Linked to Asylum Seeker
Farmers Warn of Crop Losses Following Months of Unseasonal Rainfall
Civil Aviation Authority Launches Review of Regional Airport Operations
Met Office Issues Heat-Health Alert Across Parts of England
National Grid Introduces New Measures to Protect Winter Energy Supply
Northern England Rail Upgrades Receive Additional Government Funding
Wales Advances Green Hydrogen Strategy to Decarbonize Heavy Industry
UK Expands Recruitment Incentives to Address Shortage of STEM Teachers
High Court Opens Door to Climate Liability Claims Against Major Industrial Emitters
Police Service of Northern Ireland Investigates Major Personnel Data Breach
Defense Ministry Overhauls Procurement System to Accelerate AUKUS Submarine Program
Net Migration Remains Above Government Expectations, New Data Shows
UK and Scottish Governments Agree Framework for Expanded North Sea Wind Development
UK Treasury Launches New Tax Incentives to Boost AI and Semiconductor Investment
Bank of England Signals Continued Caution on Interest Rate Cuts
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Digital Modernization Plan Centered on AI Integration
Nebius Opens Major Robotics and Physical AI Laboratory in London
Bank of England Data Shows Strong Rise in New Mortgage Approvals
Network Rail Completes Landmark Upgrade of Severn Tunnel Rail Infrastructure
East West Rail Passenger Services Between Oxford and Milton Keynes Set for December Launch
GlaxoSmithKline Reportedly Pursues £7 Billion Acquisition of US Cancer Drug Developer Nuvalent
Bank of England Signals Interest Rates Likely to Remain Unchanged Despite Energy Market Risks
NHS Trusts Launch Job-Cutting Programmes as Financial Pressures Intensify Across England
More Than 130 Labour MPs Urge Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
Keir Starmer Orders Technology Firms to Introduce Smartphone Nudity Controls for Under-18s
UK Unveils £400 Million National AI Supercomputer Fund and New Economics Institute
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
×