Nicola Sturgeon on collision course with ministers over gender recognition plans: Kemi Badenoch warns over ‘diverging’ UK rules amid fears of looming Supreme Court battle

• Nicola Sturgeon facing clash with Westminster over gender recognition rules
• Minister Kemi Badenoch has written warning over ‘divergence’ within the UK
• Fears that the mooted Scottish legislation could end up in the Supreme Court 

Nicola Sturgeon looks to be on collision course with the UK government over gender recognition rules today.

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has written to the SNP leader raising alarm that her plans to loosen the system in Scotland will cause chaos.

Holyrood is expected to vote on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill before Christmas. It would mean people applying for a legal gender change no longer needing a medical diagnosis.

The minimum age would also drop from 18 to 16, and the threshold for having lived in a new gender from two years to three months, with a further three-month reflection period.

UN special rapporteur Reem Alsalem is among the senior figures who have raised concerns that the changes could affect on the safety of women and girls. 

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch (pictured) has written to Nicola Sturgeon raising alarm that her plans to loosen the system in Scotland will cause chaos

Ms Sturgeon (pictured) looks to be on collision course with the UK government over gender recognition rules

Ms Badenoch wrote the letter to Ms Sturgeon this week, warning that the legislation would create ‘divergence’ between Scotland and the rest of the UK.

‘Individuals contemplating the very serious step of changing their legal sex need clarity on the process that they must undertake and I am concerned about the impact (of) having divergent regimes in the different parts of the UK,’ the minister wrote, according to The Times.

Ms Badenoch added: ‘I have heard from a number of women who’ve highlighted their concerns about these proposals and the implications for wider society.’

The minister also said it was ‘not possible’ for the Bill to be ‘fully contained’ in Scotland, with likely impacts felt in other parts of the UK.

If the UK Government refused to accept gender recognition certificates issued in Scotland the dispute could end up before the UK Supreme Court.

Ms Sturgeon lost a recent case before judges at the court, when it ruled that she does not have the power to stage an independence referendum without Westminster’s permission.

However, a spokeswoman for the UK Government stressed that no final decisions have been taken on how to respond.

‘As the UN special rapporteur has set out, the Scottish Government’s proposals currently raise a number of clear concerns,’ the spokeswoman said.

‘In order to understand the potential impact of the Bill on the rights of people across the United Kingdom, we will continue to monitor its progress. We have made no decision on any potential action at this time.’

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