According to the newspaper, London has that opportunity in cases where, in its opinion, the reform has a negative impact on issues in which national interests prevail. In this case, we are talking about the negative impact on the functioning of equality legislation in the United Kingdom.
The Scottish Secretary of State, Alistair Jack, said yesterday that he has decided to apply section 35 of the Scotland Law of 1998, which allows the initiatives of Scottish legislators to be blocked. Today he has to address parliament, only after that will the veto be formally applied. And this means that King Carlos III will not sign the bill. However, Jack admitted that the initiative could still happen if changes were made to the project, but he did not specify what.
First Minister Rishi Sunak, for his part, noted that “many people have expressed concern about the new law in Scotland and its impact on the safety of women and girls”, so he believes that “it is quite reasonable that the UK government decided to look into the situation”.
Labor also reacted negatively to the initiative. As Labor Party leader Keir Starmer said, at 16, people are too young to make decisions about sex change for themselves without undergoing a medical examination.
At the same time, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the British government’s move as an attack on the Scottish Parliament and its ability to make its own decisions on delegated matters. She fears that London will use the precedent and block other initiatives in the future, including on independence issues.
