ALBA Party National Women’s Convener Calls on Humza Yousaf to scrap Gender Reform Obsession

ALBA Party have urged Humza Yousaf to ditch his desire to make controversial Gender Reforms by taking the UK Government to Court.

Dr Yvonne Ridley, who is the National Women’s Convener of ALBA Party, has said that the new First Minister should instead “focus on the people’s priorities” as she calls on Yousaf to “put aside” personal agendas that are rejected by an overwhelming majority of people in Scotland.

ALBA say that the independence movement cannot afford to be divided and to allow support for independence to suffer because of unpopular policies that have been supplanted on the Scottish Government by the Green Party.

In his first move after being elected the new leader of the SNP, Mr Yousaf signalled that he would challenge the UK Government over the controversial Gender Recognition Reform legislation.

But ALBA say it would be “foolish” to fight Westminster over an issue that the Scottish Government cannot secure the publics support on.

In the unlikely event that SNP/Green coalition Government were successful it would mean that the much debated Self ID policy would come into force - despite being opposed by an overwhelming majority of the Scottish public.

Commenting ALBA Party National Women’s Convener Dr Yvonne Ridley said:

"We must be united in our efforts to secure Scotland's independence, and we must be focused on the needs and aspirations of the Scottish people. The First Minister should focus less attention on polarising issues such as Gender Reforms and more time on issues that can garner the support of the entire population, such as highlighting the absurdity that many people in Scotland live in fuel poverty when we are a land of energy plenty. It’s time to start spending less time on Self Identification and more time on Self Determination.

That’s the sort of issue that can secure the support of every person in Scotland as opposed to a fight over a Gender Reform Bill that became Nicola Sturgeon’s Poll Tax.

“ The ex First Minister’s Government got itself into lots of bother by trying to rail road through an incoherent Self ID policy that is not wanted by the people of Scotland. It would be an act of madness to take the Scottish Government back into this debate and to a costly defeat at court. We need a change of focus with the attention of the Government on issues that matter to the people of Scotland. Continuity won’t cut it.”