Tag: Nicola Sturgeon

Over 60 Percent of Scotland’s Transgender Prisoners Only Transitioned After Being Jailed: Reports

Reports that over 60 percent of Scottish transgender prisoners only transitioned after being locked up have been deemed “shocking but unsurprising” by women’s rights campaigners. Of the 19 transgender prisoners currently in Scotland’s prisons, 12 are recorded as beginning their transition “after their date of admission,” according to The Telegraph. The figures, disclosed to the…


Humza Yousaf to Succeed Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of Scotland

Humza Yousaf has been elected as the new leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), succeeding Nicola Sturgeon who resigned in February. On Monday, Yousaf defeated rival candidates Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former minister Ash Regan in a ballot of party members. Yousaf is expected to be declared Scotland’s sixth first minister. Sturgeon, who…


Scottish National Party Chief Executive Resigns for Misleading Public About Membership Numbers

The chief executive of Scotland’s largest political party has resigned after the party misled the media and the public about its falling membership numbers. Peter Murrell said on Saturday that he was resigning as the chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) with immediate effect. Murrell, who is the husband of former SNP leader…


UK Expands Ban on Transgender Criminals in Female Prisons in England and Wales

The UK government has extended the scope of its rules banning some transgender criminals from female prisons in England and Wales, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has announced. Raab announced in October that trans women who have male genitalia or have committed sexual offences will not be held in women’s prisons. On Sunday he confirmed that…


Dearth of Obvious Candidates as SNP Step Up Search for Nicola Sturgeon Successor

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has begun the search for a new leader to replace Nicola Sturgeon, who shocked the political establishment on Wednesday when she suddenly resigned as Scotland’s First Minister. While there is no obvious candidate to succeed her, potential candidates include Scotland’s Finance Secretary, Kate Forbes; External Affairs Secretary, Angus Robertson; Health…


Nicola Sturgeon to Resign as Scotland’s First Minister After Gender Bill Blocked by UK Parliament

Nicola Sturgeon has announced she is to resign as First Minister of Scotland, saying: “My decision comes from a place of duty and of love, tough love perhaps, but nevertheless love [of] my party and my country.” Her decision to step down comes a month after the UK Parliament blocked radical gender reforms which had been…


Scottish Government Orders ‘Urgent Review’ of Movement of Transgender Prisoners

The Scottish government has ordered an “urgent review” of the management of transgender prisoners after lawmakers voiced anger at reports that a transgender prisoner’s request to move to a female jail had been rubber-stamped. Andrew Burns, who now uses the name “Tiffany Scott,” reportedly requested a transfer to a women’s prison. The Daily Record newspaper…


Scottish Government Urged to Pause Transgender Bill Following UN Concerns Over Women’s Safety

The Scottish government has been urged to pause its controversial gender reform plan while lawmakers assess concerns raised by a U.N. official on the risk it poses to women’s safety. The proposed Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill will make it much easier for individuals to change their gender identity. Reem Alsalem, the U.N. special rapporteur…


UK Supreme Court Rules Scotland Cannot Hold 2nd Independence Referendum

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the Scottish Parliament cannot legislate for a second independence referendum without consent from the UK government. In the first independence referendum held in 2014, the Scottish electorate voted 55–45 percent to reject independence and remain part of the UK. But First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is also leader…


UK’s Shetland Cut Off From World After 2 Undersea Cables Damaged in ‘Very Rare’ Incident

Thousands of residents on Britain’s Shetland Islands are without phone and internet services after two undersea telecommunications cables were damaged just days apart, a situation that has been described as “very rare.” Residents on the remote Scottish archipelago have not been able to access telecommunication services since the early hours of Oct. 20 due to…