Telegraph: Rishi Sunak set to block Nicola Sturgeon's trans law tonight

[ResisterRex]

This is the reporting from their live blog:

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/01/16/rishi-sunak-strikes-nurses-news-latest-keir-starmer-brexit/

"Rishi Sunak is to block Nicola Sturgeon's controversial gender reforms after receiving clear legal advice that they would undermine women's rights, the UK Government is set to announce tonight.

The Telegraph understands that Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, is set to tell the First Minister on Monday evening that he will issue a Section 35 veto to prevent the law, which was passed at Holyrood in December, from coming into force.
The move is certain to spark yet another bitter constitutional row between Ms Sturgeon's SNP administration in Edinburgh and the UK Government.
Ahead of the announcement, the First Minister said a block would amount to using trans people as a "political weapon". The Scottish Government is almost certain to seek to overturn the veto in the Scottish Courts.
However, UK Government lawyers have advised that the Bill, which would allow people as young as 16 to self-identify their legal gender, "cuts across" UK-wide legislation on equalities.
Mr Jack is expected to write to Ms Sturgeon, the Commons speaker and Holyrood's Presiding Officer informing them of his decision to invoke Section 35 of the Scotland Act.
The measure, seen as a "nuclear option", has never been used before in the history of devolution.
He is then due to formally lay the Order in the Commons tomorrow, and expand on his reasons for doing so. It is expected that Mr Jack will address the Commons in a statement on Tuesday."

Is anyone a neutral voice? That is not meant to be goady, but no one is neutral. I have watched women fight for years to be heard on women's issues. Suddenly this issue is high on the agenda on both sides.

Call me cynical but it is not out of concern for anyone's rights, IMO.

I am sure that was the thought behind it. It was simply too crazy to be justified on any other grounds.

However, I think a lot of people in Scotland were against the Bill anyway, so they might not join the call against the evil Tories/Westminster lot in this instance.

First it's advice and a poll that don't exist. Then it's something technical that people from SE England cant understand. Then it's not a priority.

Hardly playing with a straight bat.

If the SNP had kept quiet or kicked it into the long grass saying "more evidence needed" or some such, what would be the likely political impact for them? I can see why people might think the Tories are cynically using it, but not sure wrt SNP.

This type of sniping really isn't on.

I have commented on the politics. If you are enraptured by the Tories on this issue, that is your right, but do not get the hump because I think the wider political situation is relevant.

This stance is not about principle, it is a political calculation.

Internal party politics being Sunak's priority at present, I should have added.

The irony , given the GRA was a Tory idea? This is a win win though for Sturgeon. Off the hook of the stupidest Act ever passed and which her base will never accept.
But gets to moan about Westminster interference with democracy. She could also save face by holding a Referendum which she is bound to lose.
Anyway good news all round

What is "cynical" about wanting to make sure we fulfil our international obligations on things like:

CEDAW
Istanbul Convention (both about protecting women and girls from male violence and reporting progress on sex based data)
Bangkok Rules
Mandela Rules (those rules are about minimum standards in prison, by age and sex)

?

Set out in this letter from KPSS:

twitter.com/noxyinxxprisons/status/1612231264102395904?s=46&t=YQA59alBCy3eBV1ny9_Q5Q

I see nothing cynical about doing those things. I see lots really fucking dark cynical about using the safety of women and children to see if the UK government will let you get away with it or not.

Kier won’t be able to rest easily in his bed tonight.

Stonewall is "saddened". They got 14,000 people to write to their MPs. That doesn't feel high?

twitter.com/stonewalluk/status/1615050942453252096?s=46&t=vGKP2-Ja-KEMroCewgMjxQ

Although the Sex Matters petition immediately popped into my head, it's not a comparator as they're emails as against 70,000 signatures.

It could be quite convenient for Steer Calmer as well though. I know he's not the forensic genius barrister we were all sold.

But he's not thick either ; he knows most Labour voters don't want Self ID or men in women's spaces. Handy for him if Sunak kicks the whole mess into the long grass indefinitely.

Abhannmor

Steer Calmer - did you make that up, it's great.
if he actually became a good PM, it would be a terrific alias.

I think you'll find the majority on here are most definitely NOT enraptured by the Tory Party on this issue. I think you are mistaking our relief that someone is actually doing something about the idiotic legislation NS forced through.

The majority of us here are usually Labour party members and Labour voters.

It is not in our nature to trust the conservatives blindly. They certainly don't provoke intense joy in any of us.

Not much new in this. But there's one section at the end that leaps off the page:

UK government blocks Scotland’s gender recognition reform bill

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/9adb3c30-95ca-11ed-a130-baced48eb788?shareToken=61c2dee8c36620bfd81f462a356136d6

"With Sir Keir Starmer also hinting he could back Sunak in blocking the law because of “concerns” over the Equalities Act, Sturgeon accused him of being “a pale imitation of this Tory government” and showing “utter contempt for his own Scottish party”, which backed her reforms.

“I suspect I am not the only one who starts to wonder, if there is anything Keir Starmer is willing to stand up and be counted on in the face of Tory attacks,” she said."

I'm not really sure what she's saying. She's not in need of (Scottish) Labour right? So why lash out at Starmer? The SNP cosied up to the Greens. Yes Scottish Labour largely supported it too but they're not "needed" as such. And if she wants this to trigger a motion in Parliament, attacking Starmer like this seems a strange way to do it.

Boiled

Why is she attacking anyone if its as she say it is and that there is no impact on GB wide legislation?

Surely if the law is on her side then this is a massive win for her?

Yes it slows down the bill getting royal assent, but won against the UK government in court will be a massive boost for her and her hopes for independence.

Or has she just played her hand really badly and it's finally dawned on her?

Am not a labour voter boiled.

there is no one to vote for in Scotland anymore

and being a labour voter is not a sign of being a good person 🤷‍♀️

According to this FOI, the Scottish government never approached the UK government.

If I read it right?:

https://twitter.com/mbmpolicy/status/1615058094932856832?s=46&t=vGKP2-Ja-KEMroCewgMjxQ

"THREAD: In January last year, we submitted an FoI to the Scotland Office, to find out what approaches the Scottish Govt had made to it over the GRR Bill, since the second Scottish consultation closed, on 17 March 2020. It held no records of any. murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/wp-content/upl…

This also covered the whole period since the UK government announced, in September 2020, that it would not be proceeding with a similar Bill, raising more substantial cross-border questions for the Bill than before.

Comments made at Stage 1 by the SG witnesses on 28 June suggested there had been some general official-level contact with the UK government, but that the SG was leaving any detailed discussion of cross-border matters until the Bill was completed. parliament.scot/api/sitecore/C…

The Committe were advised that "the formal conversations about mutual recognition have not taken place yet." The Cabinet Secretary added no issues were envisaged
[screenshot with quote from Robison]

A briefing for MSPs in December stated that officials had approached the UK govt at official level seeking a meeting about cross-border matters in October - by then, the Bill was already moving into Stage 2. https://spice-spotlight.scot/2022/12/12/will-the-uk-government-recognise-scottish-gender-recognition-certificates/

Note: The briefing adds this was "without any response from the UK Government." But if this was the first time cross-border matters had been raised in detail, internal cross-dept discussion will have been needed at UK level, before any substantial meeting could take place."

This is the FOI:

"You asked for the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:

Details of all correspondence between the Scotland Office and the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's draft Gender Recognition Reform Bill, including correspondence relating to the potential cross-border effects of the legislation in the rest of the UK since 17 March 2020.

We are writing to advise you that following a search of our records between 17 March 2020 and 14 January 2022, we have established that the information you requested is not held by the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. We do not hold any correspondence between Scotland Office Ministers, Special Advisors, or officials and the Scottish Government on this subject in that timeframe."

And I was a lifelong Labour voter. Spoiled my ballot in the last GE because of this issue, and conversion therapy ie sterilising gay kids.

I feel left out am not a labour voter. 🤪🤪

I'm a member of the Labour party and I'm NOT a Labour voter either! At the moment. So many politically homeless at the moment. It was presumptuous of me to say that, to be fair i was railing against the enraptured by the Tories remark. Which even the conservative faithful would be hard pushed to be enraptured by them at the moment!

And tis true bad people come in all political persuasions!

🤣🤣🤣🤣 they do.

It’s so shite to be a Scottish woman at moment. So glad UK are challenging this shite and corrupt bill.

my government disappoint a lot of Scottish people at moment

In the UK election, the MPs are under the control of the UK Labour Party.

Stammers comments over the last few days have encouraged ne as a Labour voter in England.

He's not in government so he can be a bit coy about how he answers.

But the comments he has made, makes me think he knows that he needs to win the traditional voters back, and he won't do that by pandering to the extreme left (aka students).

If I was still in Scotland that decision would be a lot harder. I would most likely vote for the candidate most likely beat the SNP candidate.

I won't vote for Tory and Labour need to lose my vote. Hoping I am right.

Ridiculous interview on sky with a campaigner who's pro-GRR:

Qu: why doesn't it interfere with equalities legislation?

A: it just doesn't

OK.....