Scotland Act 1998: Section 35 Power

Rosie Duffield Excerpts

Tuesday 17th January 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jack]

I absolutely agree.

[Rosie Duffield (Canterbury) (Lab)]

I welcome the Government’s invoking of section 35, as the Bill clearly conflicts with the Equality Act and would have repercussions for women across the UK. Does the Secretary of State recognise the strength of feeling among women, women’s rights groups and activists in Scotland that this Bill seeks to allow anyone at all to legally self-identify as either sex and, therefore, enter all spaces, including those necessarily segregated by sex, such as domestic violence settings, changing rooms and prisons? Given the previous urgent statement, does he not understand how vital this is at the moment?

[Mr Jack]

The hon. Lady deserves a lot of respect for her courage in standing up on this issue. When she reads the statement of reasons later today, she will be proved right in what she says.