Cleverly: 'Tory government GRR block shows value of Union'
MSPs passed the Gender Recognition Reform Bill at the end of 2022 by 86 votes to 39 on a cross-party basis.
The legislation was intended to speed up and simplify the process for a trans person to obtain a gender recognition certificate and change their legal sex.
Under the current system, this takes at least two years, involves a medical diagnosis and is only available from the age of 18.
The Holyrood Bill would have reduced the waiting time to six months, scrapped the need for medical diagnosis and lowered the age threshold to 16.
After it was passed, the then Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, used Section 35 to ultimately prevent the Bill from gaining Royal Assent.
In his statement to the Commons explaining his reasons, he said the legislation would have a 'serious adverse impact' on, among other things, the operation of UK-wide equality law.
Alister Jack (Image: PA) Sir James said: 'I do think that this issue has been a prime example of the importance of the Union, because this issue was clearly spiralling out of control—badly out of control—and down in Westminster, looking at the debate, looking at this information, which was becoming more and more surreal, had it not been that really close working relationship between Alister Jack, the Scottish Conservatives, and the number of people fighting to protect women's rights in Scotland, we in Westminster would not have been able to intervene to try and press the pause and think-about-it button—because that is all we did.
'It was not imposing a Westminster solution on Scotland. It was about pressing the pause button and saying, hang on a second, this just sounds weird to us. You should think again and think more carefully.
'That is what the relationship was. And because of that close working relationship, I think we are now on a road towards a more thoughtful, pragmatic and sustainable solution—one which works for trans people, works for women, whatever sexual orientation—works for gay men.
'I think we can get there, and I genuinely hope we can get there, but we have got to make sure that we do not lose sight of some of the fundamental reasons why a number of us got into politics in the first place, which was to protect the vulnerable, give voice to the voiceless, and make sure that people do not make foolish decisions in the heat of the moment.
"I am glad that we in Westminster—Alister Jack in particular—played a small part in helping to inject a little bit of thoughtfulness in this conversation.'
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