Scotland to launch legal challenge to UK government block on gender reform bill

Petition for judicial review puts new first minister Humza Yousaf on collision course with Westminster

Scottish ministers will challenge in court the UK government’s block on Holyrood’s gender recognition reform bill, putting the new first minster, Humza Yousaf, on a constitutional collision course with Westminster only two weeks after his election.

The social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville announced on Wednesday that she had informed the Scottish parliament that ministers would lodge a petition for a judicial review of the decision in January by the Scotland secretary, Alister Jack, to use section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 for the first time to halt the Holyrood bill from going for royal assent, citing concerns it would have an “adverse impact” on UK-wide equalities law.