Legal challenge to begin over UK Government’s gender reform block starts today at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.<br /><br />Ladies from the Scottish Feminist network outside the Court of Session this morning ahead of Legal challenge to begin over UK Government’s gender reform block<br /><br />Scotland’s highest court is set to hear the Scottish Government’s legal challenge against a decision by UK ministers to block controversial gender reform legislation.<br /><br />The substantive hearing challenging the UK Government’s use of the Section 35 order of the Scotland Act – which prevented the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from gaining royal assent – will be held in Edinburgh’s Court of Session.<br /><br />Judge Lady Haldane will preside over the full hearing, beginning on Tuesday, and running for three further consecutive days.<br /><br />The Scottish Government will set out its argument first over the first day-and-a-half, with the UK Government set to present its response up to day three.<br /><br />The challenge comes after Scottish Secretary Alister Jack utilised never-before-used powers of the Scotland Act – the legislation which established the Scottish Parliament – to halt the gender laws which sought to simplify the process for trans people to self-identify and obtain and gender recognition certificate.<br /><br />First Minister Humza Yousaf confirmed the legal challenge in April, adding it was necessary to “defend the Scottish Parliament’s democracy from the Westminster veto”.<br /><br />Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at the time his ministers had taken “careful and considered” advice before blocking the legislation, with concerns around how it impacted the reserved Equalities Act.
