Scottish court upholds UK government's veto of gender recognition bill
Scotland's highest court has ruled that the UK government's veto of Holyrood's gender recognition reform bill was lawful. The bill, which aimed to introduce a self-identification system for changing legally recognized sex, was passed by a cross-party majority in the Scottish parliament. The court rejected the argument that the veto was an "impermissible intrusion on the constitutional settlement." LGBTQ+ campaigners expressed disappointment, while the ruling was welcomed by the Scotland secretary. The Scottish government has 21 days to appeal the ruling, but concerns about legal fees and the cost of living crisis may impact their decision. Women's groups who opposed the bill celebrated the ruling, while critics argued it would compromise women-only services.
