The UK government on Monday decided to block a Scottish law making gender reassignment recognition easier, threatening a legal battle between London and the independence government in Edinburgh.
UK Government Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack said the law, passed by the Scottish Parliament on December 22, would have “an adverse effect on the way equality legislation works” across the UK. “My verdict today relates to the impact of legislation on the application of equality protections,” he said.
SEE ALSO – Scottish Independence: “Democracy is at stake,” says Sturgeon after failed referendum
“Attack” on the Scottish Parliament
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted a “head-on attack on our democratically elected Scottish Parliament and its ability to make its own decisions”. The Scottish Government “will defend this law” and “the Scottish Parliament”, she added, condemning this “Westminster veto”.
The text, introduced by the independence government, removes the need for a medical and psychiatric diagnosis when applying for a gender recognition certificate. It reduces the time an applicant must live in their acquired gender from two years to three months, with an additional three-month cooling off period, and raises the minimum age to apply for this certificate to 16 (from 18 previously).
Also readLondon blocks road to Scottish independence
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government is the first to use this lockdown mechanism, risking triggering a legal and political showdown shortly after the Scottish government was recently denied the right to organize a new independence referendum by the Supreme Court.