Rattled Nicola Sturgeon slams 'outrageous' move to block gender identity rules trends now
Rattled Nicola Sturgeon slammed Westminster's 'outrageous' move to block her gender identity rules today as she was accused of using the row to further her separatist ambitions.
The SNP leader used a BBC interview to complain that ministers had not provided any 'compelling' reasons for blocking the controversial law passed by Holyrood.
She also denied rumours that she is close to quitting after nearly nine years in post and recent setbacks.
The comments came as former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption said the SNP was trying to 'provoke constitutional rows, which they hope will boost support for independence'.
He accused the Scottish Government of 'froth and rage' on the issue, as he warned any legal challenge to Westminster's use of Section 35 powers to stop the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill would fail unless Scottish ministers address the 'serious legal and practical problems' in the legislation.
Nicola Sturgeon slammed Westminster's 'outrageous' move to block her gender identity rules today as she was accused of using the row to further her separatist ambitions
Protests against the gender identity law outside the Scottish Parliament earlier this month
Polling for the Scottish Mail on Sunday today underlined the social divide over the SNP's gender proposals.
The legislation would cut the age limit for changing gender from 18 to 16, remove the need for a medical diagnosis and shorten to three months the time a person must live in their 'acquired' gender before applying for a formal change.
But the Deltapoll research showed more than three quarters of Brits believe the minimum age should be 18 or higher.
Among those who said people should have the right to change gender, a majority - 58 per cent - thought an official medical diagnosis should be necessary.
Appearing on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Sturgeon accepted that legal opinion is 'divided', but insisted it is wrong to say the Bill impacts on equalities legislation in the UK.
The First Minister said: 'I have not heard any argument about the impact on the Equality Act that I find in any way persuasive or compelling, because the Act does not change the legal effect of a gender recognition certificate.'
She defended the Bill lowering the age at which a trans person can obtain a certificate from 18 to 16, saying there would be 'greater advice and support available to what would be a tiny number of people of that age group wanting to go through this process'.
She also dismissed the concern of some women's rights groups who fear the changes could help men gain access to women-only spaces.
Ms Sturgeon said: 'You don't have to show your birth certificate to access women-only spaces. So this Bill does not give a predatory man any more ability to abuse women than that predatory man already has.'
She said differences in policy between
