London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

Scotland launches women’s audit to look at barriers to entering Holyrood

Scotland launches women’s audit to look at barriers to entering Holyrood

Exclusive: presiding officer Alison Johnstone says it will be disappointing if parliament cannot attract more female politicians

It will be “really disappointing” if the Scottish parliament cannot attract more female politicians within the next five years, says Holyrood’s presiding officer, as she launches Holyrood’s first women’s audit to investigate barriers to representation and participation.

Alison Johnstone, the former Scottish Green politician who was elected last May to the position of presiding officer – the Holyrood equivalent of the Commons speaker – also suggests that political parties are falling short in selecting female candidates. She signals that the hybrid working arrangements used during lockdown and which suited working women in particular could become permanent.

Although last May’s elections returned the most diverse MSP group ever – 58 women, making up 45% of the parliament, including the first two minority-ethnic women – three female MSPs stood down, citing the difficulties of managing family life and their role. Holyrood has no formal pairing system or proxy votes, for example.

Launching the audit plans, which will be led by a cross-party board of MSPs and academics, Johnstone pointedly describes the progress as “unexpected” given Holyrood had been sitting at 35% the previous session, and makes it clear political parties must play their part.

All parties, she says, “are beginning to realise the absolute necessity of making sure they have fair representation … They are getting better at it but we’re still not seeing it deliver a 50:50 parliament”.

She knows “fabulously able women” who have decided not to get involved in party politics because of their caring commitments.

“It’s not just about getting to the party meetings,” says Johnstone bluntly. “It’s about hanging about afterwards to mill around in a bar and getting to know activists who will support you when you need their votes to be selected.”

All parties currently represented in Holyrood, aside from the Scottish Conservatives, have used all-women shortlists with varying degrees of success.

Johnstone, who has been robust in her rebukes of MSPs for rude or disrespectful behaviour – including the first minister – is clearly mindful of the combative tone in the Holyrood chamber, a space originally designed in amphitheatre style to avoid the confrontations of the Commons.

She is adamant that MSPs from all backgrounds should “feel comfortable representing their constituents to the best of their ability”, and reveals that the parliament has already started work compiling statistics on contributions in the chamber. “I’m really keen to see who is making the vast majority of interventions, who is more comfortable doing that and why?”

As her women’s audit begins, Holyrood’s procedures and public appointment’s committee is carrying out its own review of the remote working practices used during the pandemic, and Johnstone insists the two are “very much connected” and says she expects Holyrood will adopt some hybrid working opportunities permanently.

Taking into account caring responsibilities and those candidates representing large rural areas, “travelling into a building might not be the best use of parliamentarian’s time”.

The culture around politics has changed significantly, she acknowledges: the “toxic” social media discourse, which women bear the brunt of, puts many off.

The mob attack on Keir Starmer earlier this week was “deeply troubling and uncomfortable”, she says, and the direct result of how a politician’s tone plays through into the general culture.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×