Scotland's legal battle against UK gender reform bill block to be livestreamed

The Scottish Government’s legal battle against Westminster over its decision to block a bill on gender reforms will be livestreamed.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) said the judicial review into the UK Government’s unprecedented use of a Section 35 order will be shown live on its website.

Humza Yousaf announced in April that his government would take the UK to court after it decided to veto the Gender Recognition Reform Bill which was passed overwhelmingly by the Scottish Parliament.

Scotland

UK Government block of Scotland’s gender reforms to be challenged in court

Scotland’s social justice secretary said the move is the ‘only reasonable means’ of resolving the conflict.

It was the first time a Scottish secretary had used a Section 35 order, which gives Westminster the power to veto Scottish legislation which it argues interferes with reserves areas.

The bill aims to make it easier for trans people to change their legally recognised gender but the UK Government said it would breach UK-wide equality laws.

The Scottish Government denies this.

Some women’s groups raised concerns about its impact on female-only spaces.

The first hearing will take place on August 16.

SCTS said while members of the public are free to watch the legal battle they should “pay careful attention to the legal warning on the recording and redistribution of the footage”.

Livestream details can be found here.