While Bridget Philipson seems confused about the Supreme Court judgement Scottish Labour seem to have very different ideas. Anas Sarwar at the manifesto launch was very clear:
Scottish Labour Women's Declaration
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9h
Thank you to the journalist who asked Anas Sarwar about single-sex spaces and the EHRC guidelines.
Watch here:
https://nitter.net/treesey/status/2043669310594248802
The manifesto has triggered a massive meltdown from TAs. Women's rights are likely to be a bigger part of the campaign with Scottish Labour, Conservatives, Reform all in agreement that women exist while SNP, Greens and Lib Dems are unsure. Don't forget to raise it with any candidates if you can.
Some extracts from the manifesto when they say women they clearly mean women.
PROTECTING WOMEN’S HEALTH
Women’s health has long been overlooked and too
frequently women are ignored or dismissed when they
raise their concerns. It is time for this to change and for
women’s health to be given the priority it deserves. To
improve health care for women, Scottish Labour will:
• Deliver safe maternity services in every part of the
country, with a national plan to drive improvements where
services have fallen short and ensure that women can
access quality maternity care no matter where they live.
• Guarantee support for new families, training and
recruiting the health visitors needed to provide home
visits between pre-birth and a child turning five.
• Reverse the decision to downgrade Wishaw
neonatal unit, pausing the plans to centralise
specialist neonatal units across Scotland, and
commissioning a new review of services.
• Recommit the NHS to delivering single sex wards
on the basis of biological sex, and ensuring patients
can request same sex provision wherever possible.
• Tackle long waits for gynaecological procedures,
improving speed of access to colposcopies, laparoscopies
and hysterectomies, and diagnosing endometriosis faster.
• Provide menopause clinics in every health
board region, so women can access the support,
advice and medical interventions they need.
• Protect women’s reproductive rights, ensuring
that they are able to access the full range of
reproductive services, no matter where they live. [p16]
STANDING UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Delivering single-sex spaces on the basis of biological
sex, in NHS wards, schools, sport and everyday life
by upholding the Equality Act and delivering clear
instructions to public services on how to comply with
their legal obligations to women and to trans people. [p52]
Scrapping the sentencing guidelines for
under-25s, so sentences are fair and no one
escapes justice because of their age.
Preventing bail for those with histories of violence
to women, to protect victims of domestic abuse [p55]
Keeping women’s prisons for women, instructing the
Scottish Prison Service to remove all biologically male
prisoners from women’s prisons within days of the election. [p 58]
TACKLING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
Rising crime and reoffending needs a robust response. Keeping people safe is the Government’s first responsibility. That’s why there’ll be no soft touch or sticking plasters with Scottish Labour.
Linda Dorward, former prison governor
Domestic abuse is still prolific in our society, with men
overwhelmingly the perpetrators. Misogynistic attitudes
and violence are also on the rise, often fuelled by online
discourse that is targeted at young men. Scottish Labour is
determined to protect women and girls in Scotland by:
• Establishing a Misogyny Reduction Unit, based within
Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit and treating violence
against women and girls as an issue of public health
with research and evidence-based interventions..
• Closing legal loopholes around sexual deepfakes,
ensuring the law criminalises the non-consensual
creation of images, as well as the sharing of them.
• Preventing bail for those with histories of violence to
women, tightening bail laws so those with a history
of domestic abuse and violence cannot be bailed
to their current or previous partner’s address.
• Boosting uptake of the Equally Safe Programme
in schools, with a graded participation award so
that young people and parents can see the work
that schools are doing to counter the impact of
online misogyny and abusive behaviour.
• Continue funding for Rape Crisis and Women’s Aid,
ensuring resources are delivered to local services
which support victims around the country.
[p60]
https://scottishlabour.org.uk/manifesto-2026/