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Support for Scottish Independence Plummets Over Scottish Government’s Preoccupation With Trans Rights

Nicola Sturgeon is under pressure to scrap her “nonsensical fight” over her gender self-identification legislation, as support for the SNP and Scottish independence plummets.

The First Minister is facing backlash from Scottish nationalists for focusing too much on trying to implement her plans to make it easier for people to change their gender.

Earlier this week Sturgeon confirmed she intends to challenge the Westminster Government in court after it blocked her legislation on the grounds it would have far-reaching ramifications for the whole of the UK. 

Alex Salmond will criticise his successor in a speech today
Alex Salmond will criticise his successor in a speech today

Today former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond will demand his successor end her preoccupation with her Gender Recognition Reform Bill or “there will be no turning back from the damage this will do to the cause of Scottish independence”.

Polling suggests support for Scottish independence and the SNP have both dropped drastically in the wake of the trans rights row.

A YouGov poll released earlier this week pointed to support for Sturgeon’s party in Holyrood elections dropping to a five year low. Meanwhile voting intention for the Westminster elections are their worst since 2019.

Supporting for quitting the EU has fallen from 53 per cent to 47 per cent, and Sturgeon’s own personal rating has entered negative territory slipping from seven per cent in October to minus four per cent. 

Salmond is expected to urge the Scottish government to “choose to make this issue the rubicon that they cross by ploughing ahead with legal action to challenge Westminster”.

He will make is intervention at a convention of his new political party, Alba.

“Such a legal action would be costly in scarce public funds and politically punitive in throwing away support for independence,” he will say.

“Given that they are now in headlong retreat from the implications of their own policy as regards the prison estate, it would be nonsensical to base a legal and constitutional challenge upon it.”

Under Sturgeon’s planned new law, those wishing to change gender can apply for a certificate from the age of 16 rather than 18, and reduces the time that person must live in their acquired gender.

A row over which prison to house convicted trans rapist Isla Bryson has further added to the tensions in Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon has seen support plummet following a row over her legislation
Nicola Sturgeon has seen support plummet following a row over her legislation
Douglas Ross demanded the First Minister say is Bryson was a man or woman at FMQs
Douglas Ross demanded the First Minister say is Bryson was a man or woman at FMQs

Bryson, who raped two women while still a man, was briefly house in a female prison estate before backlash led to a change in approach.

Sturgeon found herself under further pressure at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday when she refused to comment on whether Bryson was a man or woman.

Conservative party leader Douglas Ross said: “At the last count, the First Minister had refused 12 times to say is Isla Bryson is a man or a woman.

“And it’s important because that affects how public bodies treat these criminals when they are released from jail.

“The First Minister says she doesn’t have enough information to decide whether this double rapist is a man.

“He is a rapist, he has a penis. What further information can the First Minister possibly need?”

Sturgeon responded saying: “The individual we’re talking about here identifies as a woman.

“However it is really important, I think very calmly to set out that any rights associated with that are not the result of any legislation passed by this Parliament and indeed wouldn’t be the result of this legislation.”

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