Latest news with #AshRegan
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Unbuyable Bill may result in just 25 charges a year
Ms Regan, a former SNP justice minister who defected to Alba in 2023, wants Scotland to bring in what is known as the Nordic Model - a system which criminalises the buying of sex in any setting and de-criminalises people selling sex. Since 2007 the buying of sex in a public place has been a criminal offence in Scotland. Formally called The Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill Ms Regan's legislation would also quash historic convictions for prostitution and provide sex workers a legal right to financial support to leave prostitution. READ MORE: SNP complain to Facebook over Reform 'race-baiting' advert targeting Sarwar Ministers still seeking 'urgent clarity' on £85m international student tax What is the Nordic Model? The proposals to criminalise 'buyers' of sex Ash Regan claims MSPs are buying sex as she introduces new bill The Alba MSP - who has the backing of Alba leader and former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill - argues prostitution is a form of male violence against women and that sex work exploits vulnerable women who are forced into it as a result of poverty. She argues her bill is a bold and long-overdue step towards tackling the issue but has said she fears it could be voted down by male MSPs in Holyrood who use prostitutes. It has already prompted significant debate with sex workers launching a campaign against it arguing it would make them more vulnerable to attack. The financial memorandum published with the bill estimated that the annual recurring cost associated with measures in the bill, taking into account extra work for the police, the prosecution service and the Scottish Prison Service as well as financial support for people leaving prostitution would be between £1.4 million and £2.2 million. This was based on estimates of the number of new charges brought to court of between 25 and 75 a year. "The member is basing total cost estimates on 45, 90 and 135 additional recorded crimes and 25, 50 and 75 additional charges brought to court," the financial memorandum stated. Lynsey Walton, chief executive of National Ugly Mugs, the UK's national sex worker safety charity, said: 'Ash Regan is trying to have it both ways. "In public she claims that the Nordic Model is needed to stop a national epidemic of abuse, but privately she admits that changing the law would lead to only a handful of cases a year," she said. 'Sex worker groups, alongside Non Governmental Organisations like Amnesty and the World Health Organisation oppose the new law on the grounds that it will make life more difficult and dangerous for sex workers, while costing taxpayers millions of pounds a year to enforce." She added: "If we truly want to address systemic violence against sex workers, we need full decriminalisation, not another expensive, performative policy that protects no one. "An official government review of similar legislation in Northern Ireland – the only nation in the UK to enact the Nordic Model – found that there was 'no evidence that the offence of purchasing sexual services has produced a downward pressure on the demand for, or supply of, sexual services'. It also found that 'the legislation has contributed to a climate whereby sex workers feel further marginalised and stigmatised'. A YouGov poll of 1,088 Scottish adults, carried out last year, showed that Scots firmly oppose the Nordic Model, with 47% saying it should be legal for a person to pay someone to have sex with them, versus 32% who think it should not be legal. The poll showed that 69% of Scots say MSPs should focus on protecting the health and safety of sex workers, and providing support to people who want to leave the industry, compared to just 14% who support new laws to prevent people exchanging sexual services for money. A spokesperson for Ash Regan said: 'Police Scotland does not routinely record the cost for any specific operation as officers are deployed to where local policing plans necessitate their services are most required. 'If the Bill becomes law then it will be an operational matter for Police Scotland to enforce the new law and Ash has full confidence in their ability to do so." She added: "Previous Members Bills have provided no financial support for Officer Training whereas Ash Regan's Bill has prudently set out costs to support training requirements of existing police officers. The manner in which the figures have been presented is either a wilful or ignorant representation of how training needs are facilitated in an organisation."
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Ash Regan's gaffe has revealed the sorry state of politicians
Enter Alba MSP Ash Regan, former SNP MSP and leadership candidate turned party reject. In an interview with The Herald over the weekend, Regan promoted her new bill that seeks to criminalise the buying of sex in Scotland while decriminalising sex workers. However, this approach to sex work, also known as the Nordic model, is known for forcing sex workers into even more precarious working conditions. A 2016 Amnesty International report found that Nordic model laws caused sex workers to face the ongoing risk of police harassment, client violence, discrimination, eviction and exploitation. But when asked if she believed that following the flawed Nordic model would effectively push sex workers into an unregulated, underground system, Regan responded in disbelief. READ MORE: What to expect from The National as we cover Hamilton by-election this week 'You cannot possibly drive prostitution underground,' she asserted, because 'if you had a lot of women in underground cellars with a locked door, how would the punters get to them?' When I read this, I'll admit, I didn't immediately grasp what had been said for a moment. To believe that driving sex work underground meant quite literally putting women in subterranean cages was, to me, so far from how any reasonable person would interpret that question that I actively needed to pause and think. And then it was funny. Deeply funny. Just another reminder of how poorly Scotland's political class is serving its people in the cosmic horror show of contemporary Britain. Then it got a lot less funny – because Regan is an example of just how far an incompetent politician can get by exploiting fears against a minority group. OK, it's actually still pretty funny. But it's one heck of a red flag for anyone labouring under the illusion that anti-trans politics equate to feminism. For someone who has painted themselves as a champion of women to be so unfamiliar with the feminist principle of harm reduction that they would take such a question literally, you could interpret that as a mark of someone who has only learned to cloak themselves in the colours of feminism for their own benefit. You cannot stop sex work by criminalising it, just as you cannot stop drug use, or abortion or gender transition by legal means. For as long as the material conditions remain that lead people to sex work, such as economic insecurity or the threat of homelessness, then sex work will continue – but in far less safe conditions for the women who do that work. The idea of harm reduction is that we must recognise that material reality, and work to make it as safe as possible for sex workers while we focus on the actual issues that press people into going into sex work in the first place. This is not a new idea – and Regan's ignorance to it is revealing. In The Herald interview, Regan was charitably given another chance to respond to the question, this time without such challenging idioms as 'being driven underground'. The Herald reporter clarified that they meant making sex work illegal could push sex workers into a less safe working environment, where punters would just purchase sex illegally. Asked if that made sense to her, Regan said: 'No.' READ MORE: IDF bars media from visiting West Bank villages on tour organised by Oscar winners Which has really left me in a bit of a pickle (not an actual pickle, Ash, if you're reading). On one side, I suppose, we have a broad dataset that shows how criminalising sex work leads to skyrocketing rates of violence and exploitation; and on the other we have someone that thinks driving sex work underground would lead to roving bands of sex workers traversing the sewers. Who to believe… It might seem trite to ridicule a politician over one deeply daft comment, but it's a symptom of a bigger issue. Regan's opposition to the Gender Recognition Reform Bill in 2022, and subsequent resignation from Nicola Sturgeon's ministerial team was her springboard into the spotlight. And like every other grifter screaming about being 'cancelled' from the front pages of major newspapers and the guest panels of national broadcast shows alike, Regan soon fashioned herself a silenced hero, bravely taking on a trans rights movement that was out of control. And that was really all people needed to know about Regan to start treating her like a Very Serious Contender at Holyrood. I've watched over the past 10 years as Scotland's anti-trans movement has evangelically boosted every politician willing to throw a jibe at the trans community into the limelight; every outdated comedian who thinks punching down is their ticket back to relevance; every hack musician with a laughable ballad on the plight of standing up to less than 1% of the population. The quality is irrelevant – it's the message that matters. I've watched for a decade as the gender-critical community has uncritically boosted the far-right, anti-abortion activists and anti-feminists into the forefront of their campaigns over and over again – perhaps why supposedly liberal transphobes seem to keep finding themselves shoulder to shoulder with Nazis at their rallies. The problem with electing someone off the back of one issue, and one issue alone, is you'll never really be sure what the next thing out their mouth will be.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Ash Regan makes ‘underground' prostitution blunder
Ash Regan has been mocked over a prostitution interview blunder. The MSP claimed a question about whether prostitution would be driven underground made no sense because 'if you had a lot of women in underground cellars with a locked door, how would punters get to them?' Ms Regan tabled the Prostitution (Offences and Support) Bill at Holyrood last month to try to criminalise the buying of sex in Scotland, alongside decriminalising those selling sexual services. But when asked how she responded to those who said the bill could drive prostitution into an 'unregulated and underground system', she answered: 'There is no basis for any of those assertions. If you even think for one second, you cannot possibly drive prostitution underground. 'If you had a lot of women in underground cellars with a locked door, how would the punters get to them?' Her response prompted The Herald newspaper reporter to clarify that the phrase 'driving underground' meant that men would continue to buy sex illegally if prostitution was outlawed. Asked if that made sense, she added: 'No. It does not really make sense whatsoever.' Ms Regan previously said prostitution was a form of male violence towards women and her bill was a step towards tackling the issue. But sex workers warned the move would be 'disastrous' for their safety by driving the vice trade 'underground', where women are less safe. They said sex workers had 'experienced more violence from clients and the police' in countries where similar systems were in place. Ms Regan's latest comments were met with disbelief among online readers. One asked: 'So does Ash Regan also think underground music is made by people who've been locked in literal underground bunkers?' Another added: 'A Member of the Scottish Parliament apparently did not understand that if you're asked 'what if the bill you're recommending drives the important and worrying issue you're trying to ban underground', it does not literally mean under the ground.' Sources close to the Alba Party MSP said she was being 'flippant' and she had not meant to be taken literally by the reporter. They said that she was arguing that prostitution could not be driven underground as 'men will find a way to get women' and they could then be tracked down by the police. Ms Regan resigned as community safety minister in Nicola Sturgeon's government over legislation allowing trans people to self-identify their gender by simply signing a declaration. The Edinburgh Eastern MSP won widespread plaudits for her principled stance after arguing the move endangered women in female-only safe spaces. She stood in the SNP leadership contest to replace Ms Sturgeon in 2023 and suggested building a large thermometer to show how prepared Scotland is for independence. But she finished a distant third, behind Humza Yousaf and Kate Forbes, and later that year defected to Alba.
Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Ash Regan's prostitution blunder
To Scotland, where once Britain's greatest schools were found. These days, sadly, that can no longer be said, thanks to the SNP's mismanagement over the past 18 years in office. One of those who served as a minister in its wretched regime was Ash Regan, who held the Scottish Government's Community Safety brief from 2018 to 2022. Having failed to win the party leadership in 2023, she now sits as an MSP in the Alex Salmond fan club that is the Alba party. Her latest Holyrood initiative is to restart the debate on prostitution north of the border. Regan is championing a new 'Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill' which aims to criminalise the buying of sex in Scotland while decriminalising those selling sexual services. The 51-year-old is in the midst of a big publicity push for her Bill. But it seems she has now come unstuck in her latest interview with
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Prostitution Scotland: Just 25 men a year to be prosecuted under £2.6m Ash Regan proposals
Ash Regan MSP has published proposals to criminalise the buying of sex in Scotland. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Just 25 men a year are predicted to be prosecuted each year under £2.6 million proposals to overhaul prostitution laws in Scotland. Alba MSP Ash Regan wants to introduce what is known as the Nordic model to Scotland, which would legalise the selling of sex and criminalise the buying of sex. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She launched her Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill last week, and said there is an 'epidemic of violence against women' and a national 'system of exploitation' which needs to be tackled. Ministry of Justice figures show 138 inmates, or 23.3 per cent of all prisoners at Hindley Prison, were living in crowded cells as of March. However, campaigners who oppose her proposals dispute her claims of an 'epidemic' as her bill predicts as few as 45 new crimes will be recorded annually each year under the Nordic model. Ms Regan suggests 25 people are likely to be prosecuted each year with 'two cases at most' leading to prison sentences under her proposals. Under the current legislations, an average of 50 charges and 40 convictions are made annually. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad National Ugly Mugs, which works with those involved in what they describe as sex work, say those involved already face high levels of violence, stigma and exploitation, but criminalising those who buy sex from them will not remove these harms. Instead, the group fears it will push the industry underground, making it harder to report abuse and easier to target those already at risk. They also dispute how much the bill will cost to implement. In a financial memorandum on her bill, Ms Regan claims it will cost up to £2.6m in its first year to enforce, falling to £2.2m annually thereafter. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, National Ugly Mugs says the documents contain 'a number of mathematical and factual errors' meaning the true cost will actually be much higher. The group, which supports the full decriminalisation of prostitution, says it will cost closer to £2.7m to train Police Scotland officers to enforce the new law, rather than the £17,000 Ms Regan has quoted. National Ugly Mugs also disputes Ms Regan's claims that each case will cost £477 once a person is arrested as it will take six hours to complete - the group says the UK Home Office's independent policing productivity review from 2024 suggests it takes on average 63 hours to complete a case. Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan's Bill would criminalise the purchase of sexual acts. Picture: Getty Images. | Getty Images Lynsey Walton, chief executive of National Ugly Mugs, said: 'Ash Regan is trying to have it both ways. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'In public she claims that the Nordic model is needed to stop a national epidemic of abuse, but privately she admits that changing the law would lead to only a handful of cases a year - on par with littering. 'As the UK's national sex worker safety charity, National Ugly Mugs works with police forces across the country to support sex workers during investigations. 'This means we know that Ms Regan's estimates of police time needed to enforce her proposed legislation are laughably false, just like her ludicrous claims that it cost just 50p an hour to train officers. 'Sex worker groups, alongside non-government organisations like Amnesty and the World Health Organisation, oppose the new law on the grounds that it will make life more difficult and dangerous for sex workers, while costing taxpayers millions of pounds a year to enforce. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'If we truly want to address systemic violence against sex workers, we need full decriminalisation, not another expensive, performative policy that protects no-one.'
