Trans Green Party candidate with no British visa elected to Holyrood

Yeah, because that's a real thing 😄

They are non binary - not a trans woman.

Spot on @KnottyAuty

Someone who does not have a legal right to residency should not be able to stand for public office

You may not be bothered @Echobelly but a lot of others are.

Some of us are also 'bothered' that a man is claiming to be a woman and will no doubt be used as an example of increased representation of woman.

Bollox, literally

This is the issue

He gets the student visa - 20 hours work limit a week - and if he’s not a student he’s in breach of the terms. So he won’t have the right to hold an elected post.

He has been elected to a full time post, so automatically has to work full time for the £77k (?) annual salary. He can’t do that on the student visa work limit while also completing a PhD.

whatever way you look at it, his visa situation is a problem.

Now if he had a mandate and had been a named candidate who won the vote, then special arrangements might be possible for the visa. But he didn’t. No one voted for him as he’s a list candidate like Maggie Chapman. So why should he get special terms when maybe no one ever expected him to get a seat?

He should get his student visa, be told to complete his studies and give up the MSP position to the next on the list who actually qualifies

This is the simple and relevant point isn’t it.

Restrict standing for local or central government to people with actual British citizenship be it national or acquired. It’s common sense and completely uncontroversial.

I also can’t imagine the mindset of being in another country temporarily and putting yourself forward to represent people in a parliament. It’s exceptionally arrogant. how anyone in this position could think it is in any way right that they could help set laws and policy over people who are actual citizens. How arrogant (both on the part of the party and the individual) to think it’s ok for someone with uncertainty on being able to fulfil their term. It shows complete disregard to the people who MSPs are supposed and paid to serve.

It’s nothing to do with NB or whatnot stuff, and I fear that because of the trans aspect, people who object will be called bigoted, and Reform will have a field day. So unnecessary.

I've lived in several countries on visa (including PhD visa for some of that time) and I never thought this should give me rights to stand for election in a country. I wonder what his career options are with his PhD.

It looks like he's committed fraud on his visa and therefore should be deported.

Having a guy who's never worked in his life, who LARPs as a "non-man", who was paid by the taxpayer to do a PhD in anti white gibberish, in which he spent most of his time writing about how much he hates white people on Bluesky, now being paid £80k a year by the taxpayer to work half a day a week is absurd, and obviously a gift to Reform and the Tories.

Just deport this man - and do it quickly!

Back in the mists of time, before recorded history, in 2023.

I don't understand why there isn't a right to work check before they stand for election. It shouldn't be possible to get selected as a candidate without first demonstrating that you have leave to remain in the country for the duration of the term.

England and Wales is a different Green Party. This is the Scottish one and they have had power in Scotland for years. No “psychic flash” needed 🙄

He’s not an immigrant. Without a visa he’s not much different to a tourist. I think candidates for our government should show more commitment to the country before seeking election! It’s not an outlandish expectation!

But this person does not claim to be a woman. He claims to be non binary. So how would someone prove they were non binary? It has no standing in any law. What is the proof he is non binary?

Article in the Times:
https://www.thetimes.com/article/99bb8d5f-0e38-44ec-9be1-008f1a7962f3?shareToken=51458ae977284620203285cb1af238f0&ver=article

The Green are the No Boarders Party, they want a world where anyone can drift into any place they like, get given whatever they need to live, housing, money, do any job they want, regardless of qualifications.
This grifter seems like a perfect fit for the Greens.

I haven't checked if the rules are the same but your link is for England.

This is the main page for the rules in Scotland:
www.electoralcommission.org.uk/running-electoral-registration-scotland/eligibility-register-vote

I'm not sure if I should congratulate you on being the first person honest enough to just come out and say that you don't think trans people should be MPs, or to just throw my hands up at the transphobia.

And before the inevitable argument starts, yes of course saying trans people should be barred from certain jobs just because they are trans is transphobia, it is the very definition of transphobia.

I loathe Reform (just to get that out of the way)
I don't think candidates should be trans (they are either unstable or working to a single agenda or both) or non British - I mean come on, surely this is obvious. The colour of their skin is irrelevant.

What Reform thinks about it is besides the point - but, as it happens, my local Reform candidate isn't white. I don't think Reform are that bothered about that either. Bums on seats is what they want. Any colour bums.

But when else would they stand? They can’t stand at the start or middle of the student visa because that would be in breach of the student visa
purpose and limitations. Standing so that work would coincide with the end of studies and the start of a graduate visa (for graduates from UK Unis to work full time in a UK job) is the proper way to time it and stay in compliance with immigration regulations.

I know Q is in Scotland, but posting the Oxford Uni blurbs to show there’s wriggle room in the 20hrs/week limit.

Oxford University has this advice
“Following completion of their studies, students may work full-time. Completion of studies is usually interpreted as when the final exam is sat or when leave to supplicate is granted. In either case students should not work more than four months full-time on their student visa following completion of studies, unless they have submitted a valid application for a new visa status. Students who complete early and have a long period remaining on their student visa will be reported to the Home Office and their visa will be curtailed. Because this generally takes three to four months, the student should not be disadvantaged compared to those who complete on schedule.”

“When completing a right to work check for an employed student visa holder who is a graduate research student at Oxford you should print and retain a copy of the working while studying guidelines. This is sufficient to employ an Oxford graduate research student (who is a student visa holder) for up to twenty hours per week (along with a right to work check completed online). If you wish to employ a student visa holder who is a graduate research student at another institution, you must ask for written confirmation of term and vacation dates for the student’s course from the institution.
In circumstances where it is agreed between the graduate research student and their research supervisor that they may work beyond 20 hours per week, you must seek written permission from the student’s research supervisor which confirms that the student is considered to be on vacation (specifying the dates), that they are not expected to study or complete any work towards their thesis during this time, and that therefore may take full-time employment during the specified vacation period. You may use the Graduate Student Employment Template Letter to give to the student’s research supervisor to complete as evidence that the student may take full-time employment.”

Doing a PhD doesn't make you psychic. Are you still maintaining they decided more than 3 years ago to start identifying as trans because they had a psychic flash that in 2026 the Greens were going to have a leader who supported trans rights, that they'd be soaring in the polls, and that they'd be looking for candidates specifically in their area? If so, honestly, thank god they got elected, we need that kind of clairvoyant talent in politics.

But you haven't just claimed that they were standing just to get their visa extended, you've specifically accused them of lying about their trans identity - despite having held since identity for at least 3 years and probably longer - just to get on the candidate list. So no, that isn't something you'd be saying about any overseas student, is it. Nor, I suspect, would you be spending time scrutinising the appearance of just any overseas student and using that as a basis to declare them a grifter because they didn't pass your woman test. You've specifically insulted, targeted and made accusations against Q Manivannan because of their trans identity. So trying to handwave away that you'd say that about any candidate isn't going to wash, sorry.

It says former PhD student in the OP so perhaps he has finished or taking a leave of absence or dropped out?

Aren't they supposed to start the job now? Or shortly not in 4 months time. To be fair I don't know....

I'd assumed it was out and in, as we see with the general election.