Trans Green Party candidate with no British visa elected to Holyrood

[IwantToRetire]

Q Manivannan, who identifies as non-binary, was elected as an MSP on the Edinburgh & Lothians East list for the pro-independence Scottish Greens.

It was reported earlier this week that the former PhD student has appealed to colleagues for £2,089 of funding for a temporary graduate visa.

This would give the anthropologist and poet a further three years to work and live in the UK, picking up the taxpayer-funded MSP salary of £77,711.

Manivannan is said to have told colleagues this would help buy time to save up the £5,047 cost of applying for a global talent visa, the UK immigration category for promising individuals in specific sectors.

The self-described “queer Tamil immigrant” was only able to stand in the election after SNP ministers loosened the rules over who could be a Holyrood candidate.

Full article https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/09/trans-green-party-candidate-migrant-elected-holyrood/
And at https://archive.is/LhZYy

Reform couldn't have dreamed for a better headline!

Rookie trans Green MSP blasted over ‘disgraceful’ comments about late Queen

Duane, a biological male who uses she/her pronouns, was catapulted into Holyrood as a Green candidate on the Glasgow regional list.

Scottish Greens chiefs have tried to play down the tweet.

A party spokesman said: “It was intended as a joke when it was made years ago and ahead of the Queen’s death. It has been deleted.”

After being elected, Duane said: “I know that some will focus on the fact that I am the first black MSP and one of the first openly trans MSPs but that’s not what this election was about.”

The MSP previously hit the headlines over pledges to force the Scottish Parliament to lift its ban on trans people using toilets in their lived gender.

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/16245137/rookie-trans-msps-twisted-lizzie-lizard-taunt/

I find it hard to be bothered by this. And I don't see why people should be bothered by her getting paid for doing a job, plenty of people on visas do that and presumably she's going to get a visa in order to that - according to this story she was allowed to stand under the current rule. Some people might not like that rule, but she's done nothing wrong. Non-story nonsense from the Telegraph.

You may not be bothered but you also seem to be unaware of the controversy regarding Commonwealth visitors to the UK being able to vote in UK elections. This is a legacy issue which is not reciprocated and which is past its sell by date. Australians would be horrified if UK citizens were able to vote in its elections for example. It means that there are more potential votes outside the UK than in it! But this is an odd quirk which has only recently come to light for the UK. The idea that someone can now aslo stand as an elected representative without indefinite leave to remain in the country is just weird. What if they don't get a visa because they don't meet the criteria? How can they extend a student visa and also be working? This looks to me like someone trying to swindle the system.

"Swindle the system" - how is this not a personal attack clearly against the Mumsnet talk guidelines?

He not her and if you want to use his preferred pronouns that would be they/them
Now to the point in question he is a foreign national only here on a student visa with a work limit of 20 hours and a ban on employing anyone else. The role of a MSP is a full-time job with a requirement to hire and employ consultancy staff therefore he is not eligible for the role and should never have been on the list.
He is applying for a graduate visa which he wont have by tge time he will need to be sworn in so if he takes office he will automatically be in breach of his visa rules and liable for deportation.
Even if he already had a graduate visa it only lasts for 3 years and cant be extended.
He claims he will get a global talent visa after his graduate visa but being a MSP is not covered by it nor does he fit any of the other criteria.
All of that is before we discuss whether someone without indefinite leave to remain or citizenship should be able to be a member of parliament or not

He's only allowed to work 20 hours per week on his current visa, but as a Green MSP, I suspect he wasn't planning on doing even that.

Because its an accurate description of how it appears to observers

I suspect an asylum claim incoming from home shortly, when his skilled worker application, as he clearly isn't one based on his PhD topic, fails. I'm not sure how that works re his new 'job' .

Quite honestly I am more bothered by Duane, a biological male who uses she/her pronouns.

But in either case, not knowing the turn out etc., what does this say about voters in Scotland.

This sort of gimmicky candidate for a council election, might seem plausible, but the Government of Scotland?

Although maybe compared to form MSPs they seem as good a choice as anybody.

The student visa ain’t being extended - he’s switching to the graduate visa, which is for three years, then hoping to get a job which qualifies for the global talent visa. It’s a legitimate route. Though relies on him getting a post-doc research role in three years, as well as working as an MSP. But hey, if the electorate are happy with a PT MSP that’s on them.

Agree that the principle of accepting someone who doesn’t have ILR seems somewhat wrong.

Is this a "post-truth" meaning of "accurate"? Swindling suggests deceit at a criminal level - the MSP was fairly elected to represent them by the voters of Edinburgh and Lothians East and was eligible to stand according to the law in place at the time.

Yawn. And how does this affect you personally?

I'm perfectly 'relaxed' , as politicians like to say, about the use of the word 'swindle' here. He's a weapons grade grifter.

'Personal attack' means on another poster, ie someone here using the site. Not 'personal attack' on any human being. Are you new to Mumsnet?

report the post and let MNHQ tell you whether you’re correct. Afaik the guideline applies to attacks on other posters.

Well maybe if he doesn't get a visa it wont be a problem. There have been cases of Westminster MPs carrying out "their duties" from other countries.

Not sure how that works thought if you are needed for an essential vote!

But not eligible for the job

"Visitors" can't vote, though. You can only vote if you are on the electoral roll and in order to be added to the electoral roll as a non-UK citizen you must "be resident" on the date of the election, which requires providing a valid home address in the UK which functions as your main or sole home address. In Scotland and Wales any resident foreigner can vote in Holyrood/Senedd and local elections; reciprocality isn't the reason for the policy, nor expected.

Because I live in Scotland and expect my MSPs not to breach visa laws and get deported, and the tax payers having to pay for a by election

What it says about voters in Scotland is that they were gullible enough to vote Green - not for QM in particular. He was a list candidate, and while voters can see who's on a party's list, they don't get a choice of the candidates on it.

I guess it's hope rather than expect, sadly, most of them can't lie straight in bed.

Well obviously individual voters dont select party candidates.

But they do decide who to vote for. And some take into account not just a party's manifesto but the candidate!

Just posting because, unless I missed it, I dont think there has been a thread about the election results for the next Government of Scotland.

58 The Scottish National Party (“SNP”)
17 Reform UK (“Reform”)
17 The Scottish Labour Party (“Labour”)
15 The Scottish Green Party (“the Greens”)
12 The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party (“the Conservatives”)
10 The Scottish Liberal Democrats (“the Liberal Democrats”)

So of course the major story is the SNP being in Goverment.

And maybe of note that Labour and Reform are tied second.

The constituency vote is different in that you’re not voting for ‘Jane Brown, Politics Party’ but just ‘Politics Party’. You have no idea how many of the list candidates might end up with seats.

What is bothersome about Duane exactly?

Why do you see them as “gimmicky” candidates?

Reform may love the headline but clearly the voters didn't mind so maybe Reform's opinion on the issue isn't particularly relevant.