Sunak 'concerned' about potential impact of gender reforms: BBC report

[RPMcMurphy]

No wonder people feel the BBC is no longer reliable. Not only does it get the name of the Equality Act wrong, it also seems unable to decide whether the PM met the FM in Perth or Inverness!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64260502

According to the Telegraph, the PM is 'softening his stance' on gender reform. (I'm afraid I can't copy a link as I'm on my phone.) I do hope he hasn't traded women and children's rights for a bit of cooperation from Sturgeon.

That's from here at 8:31am. But it looks like what lawyers would advise him to say, so not sure I'd read anything into it, apart from perhaps a sign the UK government hasn't walked away from it. They'll have to either block it or not, there can't be a softening or a pick n mix approach, as I understand it:

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/01/13/rishi-sunak-news-latest-strikes-starmer-labour-nhs-ambulance/

Rishi Sunak appears to soften stance on Scotland's new gender recognition laws
^Rishi Sunak has appeared to soften his stance on Nicola Sturgeon's proposed new gender recognition laws in Scotland.
The laws allow people to change their legal gender without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria in as little as three months and UK ministers have previously signalled they are ready to block the legislation.
But Mr Sunak this morning attempted to take the heat out of the debate. Asked if he will block the laws, he told the BBC Good Morning Scotland programme: "I think on this obviously it is a sensitive are so let me just be really clear and take a step back on what is happening.
"As is completely standard practice, when the Scottish Parliament passes a law it is completely normal for the UK Government to take advice on the impact of that law, across the UK and then consider how best to proceed.^
"That is the process that is underway at the moment. I think that is entirely reasonable and standard and so that is where we are."

I hope not too, as the father of two daughters there has to be something very wrong at the core of your being to deliberately ignore issues and risks affecting your direct family members based on their sex class for political currency and trade offs.

I don't think he will ignore it, I think this government will act, and I imagine the SNP will counter immediately with calls for independence, so it's unlikely to have been for the group they pretended to feel sympathy for at all, but actually a tool for political leverage.

Anyway, the BBC are just a shambles. It's difficult to believe anything they say but I'll read the link, thanks OP.

From the BBC article

‘The SNP's leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn, said the question of whether the UK government would provide Royal Assent went beyond the issue of gender recognition and people's views on it.
He said: "This is about democracy. The Scottish parliament has voted in favour of legislation that sits within devolved competencies and it is incumbent upon Westminster to ensure that the legislation is passed in full".”

Flynn understands completely - this is nothing to do with gender, it’s all about facilitating a punch up between the SNP and Westminster. The petitions map shows exactly what Scottish voters think about it, and in Flynn’s own words, this goes beyond ‘people’s views’. That’s Sturgeon’s version of democracy. Happy for (especially vulnerable) women and girls to be collateral damage, only the politics matters

But is it:

legislation that sits within devolved competencies

?

Are the Tories about to make themselves wholly unelectable too?

Women are watching. And wonder wtaf they're going to do with their vote if every single party is absolutely in hoc to women-harming anti-reality lunacy.

I note from the below:

"Sunak insisted the process was “entirely standard” but repeatedly did not rule out blocking the laws.

“The fact that you’re asking some of these questions, it demonstrates that there may be impacts across the UK that we need to be aware of,” he said."

Rishi Sunak in Scotland: PM ‘concerned’ about gender bill — follow latest

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2e0ee5aa-931a-11ed-8b99-f233af7a7956?shareToken=55cffb4ce574651353159c5960059582

"Rishi Sunak has said he is “concerned” about the impact of Scotland’s gender recognition laws on the rest of the UK, as he did not rule out blocking the measures.

Last month, Scotland introduced laws to make it easier for its residents to obtain a gender recognition certificate.

But Sunak told Good Morning Scotland he was taking advice on how to proceed.

Asked if he would block the reforms, he said: “When the Scottish parliament passes a law it’s completely normal for the UK government to take advice on the impact of that law across the country and then consider how best to proceed.”

He added: “What I’m concerned about is the impact of the bill across the United Kingdom.”

Sunak insisted the process was “entirely standard” but repeatedly did not rule out blocking the laws.

“The fact that you’re asking some of these questions, it demonstrates that there may be impacts across the UK that we need to be aware of,” he said.

Opponents of the legislation fear that it will impact the Equality Act, particularly in relation to the exemption which allows for transgender people to be excluded from single-sex spaces in some circumstances.

The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish government says, will have no impact on the exemptions or the wider Equality Act — which is reserved to Westminster."

I liked the BBC picture though. Nice clear picture of the ‘a man can’t become a woman. Simple’ placard.

Brilliant Photo I agree!

I am now wholly convinced that this is a massive political lay from Nicola Sturgeon to advance the independence movement.

NS: we need more people in Scotland to hate Westminster
Adviser: how about if we get them to block a law so we can wang on about how they won't let us do what we want and make them look like the nasty evil baddies getting in the way of Scotland being amazing
NS: good plan - we need something really insane though, just to make sure they do actually block it!
Advisor: how about getttinf on the trans bandwagon but taking it to the extreme and saying men and boys can actually become women and girls and vice Verda
NS: (laughing) oh yes good one, no one's thick enough to let that get through.....

That photo 😱

I saw it, and couldn't believe that only the "A man can't become a woman. Simples" placard was in focus, and in the centre of the photo!

All of the other placards were out of focus.

Didn't look like a BBC photo. Do you reckon someone will notice, and hurriedly change it for a different photo?

It says PA which means press association. Most men are GC (when though they don't know they are) as they have all been teenage boys & remember what idiots they were.

So I'd say it's a photographer on our side, and it fulfills the BBC brief to be showing both sides of the story. Brilliant.

Funny how the people protesting for more trans rights aren't actually the people we are concerned about. They mostly seem to be teenage girls. I'd say a bit of realism by the protesters would be a great thing.

Sorry I left out, most press photographers are blokes.

Audio of Rishi on Times Radio (?) discussing the Bill:

twitter.com/politicsjoe_uk/status/1613860225819504642?s=46&t=FLycyXjxJdBKFRotEO9OKQ

The Scottish Parliament didn’t listen to the majority of Scottish people over this, did it? It isn’t democratic in any direction.

Sex Matters is asking people to email their MP. I can’t seem to link it but anyone interested could look it up. They have created an easy way of emailing your MP.
Urgent action!
No back door to self-ID law

The UK Government has to decide what to do about Scotland’s Gender Recognition Bill by 19th January. Email your MP today!

The Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill that was passed in December effectively brings self-declaration of sex into UK law, by changing the terms of the Gender Recognition Act. This will have impacts across the UK on the operation of the Equality Act and on freedom of speech – as the GRA makes it a crime to “disclose” someone’s sex, if you know “in an official capacity” that they have a GRC.

The UK Government can stop the Scottish bill going directly for royal assent using the Scotland Act: Alister Jack, the Secretary of State for Scotland, says he’s considering all options. Meanwhile Kemi Badenoch, Minister for Women and Equalities has said the government is updating the approved list of countries whose certificates can be used to support an “overseas track” GRC application, to make sure they are in line with the UK’s criteria.

Stonewall is encouraging its supporters to write to MPs urging them to oppose due process and legislative oversight. MPs need to stand firm against this bullying.

Even if your MP favours self-ID, it’s worth writing to say that laws that affect the whole of the UK should only be brought in through the democratic action of Parliament.

We have created a tool to make it really easy to write to your MP. It only takes a minute to complete. Please do it now, and then forward this email to friends or share our social media posts.

Email your MP now

Meanwhile, here is the petition to update the Equality Act to make sure that sex means biological sex.

⬇️💚🤍💜
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/623243

I'm a bit surprised that no one has set up a disrupter political party that is focussed on retaining sex-based identity and protecting women. I think that a lot of women would vote for them as a protest because there's a lot of us who deeply dislike and distrust the Tories but can't vote for Labour/Lib Dem/Greens because of their stance of self-ID.

Plenty of new political parties were set up for Brexit, and this is an even bigger issue imo. I'd love to see it done - I'd absolutely throw my support behind anyone who wanted to do this.

Yes, good idea.

FusionChefGeoff · Today 13:26
I am now wholly convinced that this is a massive political lay from Nicola Sturgeon to advance the independence movement.

NS: we need more people in Scotland to hate Westminster
Adviser: how about if we get them to block a law so we can wang on about how they won't let us do what we want and make them look like the nasty evil baddies getting in the way of Scotland being amazing

^NS: good plan - we need something really insane though, just to make sure they do actually block it!
Advisor: how about getttinf on the trans bandwagon but taking it to the extreme and saying men and boys can actually become women and girls and vice Verda
NS: (laughing) oh yes good one, no one's thick enough to let that get through^

If that is true perhaps that is why Rishi is apparently slow though react.

From the BBC article: "But there have been concerns about the potential impact on the Equality Act and its protections for women-only spaces, as well as the implications for UK-wide documents and some social security benefits."

Does anyone know which benefits are being referred to here? I can't think of anything other than maternity allowance that would have a sex-based eligibility - potentially, would pregnant women with a GRC stating that they are male be unable to claim this? But the Government site only seems to have work-related criteria; it doesn't actually say you need to be female to claim. (And of course, it shouldn't be necessary anyway!) But maybe there's something else and I'm barking up the wrong tree.

If some women were still in receipt of the old Widow's Pension, would getting a male GRC interfere with that? I can't imagine there'd be hordes of 'transitioning' older women, but...!😁

I'll stand if it comes to that, we can get behind KJK and get our own party going.

Details on devolved and reserved matters relating to the GRR bill on Sex Matters.

21. There was no suggestion that the criteria for awarding a GRC were devolved. Certainly insofar as the effect of a GRC relates to reserved matters, such as birth certificates and marriages in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, pensions, equal opportunities, and UK- wide criminal penalties for disclosure, the criteria for awarding a GRC must be reserved.
22. That the criteria for application for a GRC relate to both reserved and devolved matters is reflected in the power to specify the list of approved states. This can only be exercised by Scottish Parliament (2004). UK Gender Recognition Bill – Sewel motion, 21st January 2004:
^^
sex-matters.org/posts/single-sex-services/gender-recognition-reform-scotland-bill-and-the-uk/