Now SNP gender rebels savage Swinney and Sturgeon following bombshell ruling
Nationalist MSP Michelle Thomson said the serving and former First Ministers should say sorry to women who had to 'fight tooth and nail' for the right to single-sex spaces.
Former SNP minister Fergus Ewing also demanded an apology from the pair and called for them to admit they got the approach to gender self-ID wrong.
He also insisted that other Nationalist MSPs share his views but are afraid to speak out for fear of deselection. It comes just days after Ms Sturgeon remained defiant on her approach to gender reform and refused to apologise to feminists who won the landmark Supreme Court case.
Ms Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, yesterday issued the call for an apology from Mr Swinney for women 'who have had to fight tooth and nail to retain the rights they already and always had over their single-sex spaces' and also for trans people 'who have been led to believe for quite some time that self-ID gave them an entitlement that is not actually the case'.
She told BBC Radio Scotland that 'the whole situation has ended up in quite the mess', and added: 'Let's be clear, Keir Starmer should also be apologising, Nicola Sturgeon should also be apologising.
'Because people expect government to make clear policies that can be translated into law.
'This has been quite a mess for some time, and has only been cleared up as a result of the ruling by the Supreme Court.'
Mr Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, backed the calls for an apology - and said many other SNP MSPs privately share his concerns but won't speak out for fear of deselection.
He told the Mail: 'Given the fact that the Supreme Court have effectively declared the whole approach of Nicola Sturgeon as contrary to the law then surely an apology should be provided by her. That would display grace and humility.
'Moreover, just look at the huge amount of parliamentary time and effort that Nicola and her supporters devoted to this. There is no other issue that has caused MSPs to sit up into the early hours of the morning. What would Scotland be like if we put the same effort into growing the economy?
'The SNP's loss of trust has been caused by a variety of things but there is no doubt the gender issue is one of the main causes. We have lost three quarters of our MPs, 15 per cent in the opinion polls and 65,000 members of the party - over half. How much worse would it need to be before 'Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney had the good grace to admit that they got gender, the Green deal and grand wheezes - now deserted - all seriously wrong?'
He added: 'I've spoken out because from day one I believed the Green deal and the gender obsession would bring us down. I wish I hadn't been proven right but I have.
'The rest of the (SNP MSP) group? I think many of them privately would agree wholly or in part with what I'm saying but I think many are reluctant to do so for fear of deselection.'
Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry - another vocal critic of the party's approach to gender self-ID - also yesterday shared a message on social media praising Ms Thomson's 'excellent' interview on BBC Good Morning Scotland on the issue after she demanded an apology from Ms Sturgeon and Mr Swinney.
Ms Thomson said: 'There has been a split in the SNP about this, and that goes back some way.'
She called on Mr Swinney to show 'clear leadership' and order public bodies to comply now with the Supreme Court's recent landmark equality ruling on the issue, saying prisons, hospitals, schools and sports could take 'immediate action'.
Asked if Mr Swinney should follow the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's example and confirm 'trans women are not women', she said: 'I would like John Swinney to exhibit very clear leadership.
'He's been quite clear that organisations and the public sector must follow the law, but I think he needs to come out really strongly and warn people that if they do not, they could be subjected to legal action.'
But Mr Swinney, who has repeatedly refused to say sorry, angrily said 'I've said my piece' when asked about Ms Thomson's comments.
He also refused to order any public body to change how it operated, saying they should wait until after official guidance was issued in the summer by the UK equalities regulator.
The First Minister was speaking after addressing union leaders at the STUC congress in Dundee, where he referred to transgender people but failed to mention women in his speech.
He said: 'Let me take this opportunity to reaffirm my Government's commitment to LGBT rights, and specifically the rights of trans men and trans women in our society.
'I know that for trans people, there will be feelings of enormous uncertainty and anxiety at this moment in time, but I am determined to fulfill my obligation that I will act as First Minister to protect the rights of everyone in Scotland.'
Asked later why he didn't mention women, he claimed women in the economy had 'been at the heart of the policy agenda the government is taking forward'.
The UK's highest court ruled unanimously this month that 'biological sex' determines a person's rights under the 2010 Equality Act, not gender choice or paperwork.
It means biological males who identify as women can be excluded from single-sex spaces such as changing rooms, toilets, and rape crisis centres if it is 'proportionate'.
The ruling was a victory for campaigners For Women Scotland who challenged the Scottish Government claim that trans women should have the same rights as biological females.
The UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has since said that 'trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use women's facilities' such as toilets.
But it is expected to take months to consult on and issue fully updated guidance signed off by UK ministers, prompting calls for Mr Swinney to direct public bodies now.
Scottish Conservative equalities spokesman Tess White said: 'John Swinney's shameful failure to apologise to the women of Scotland for the SNP's reckless and unlawful gender self-ID policy is another example of him putting party before country.
'He's still so in thrall to the gender zealots in his party that he can't bring himself to apologise for peddling this fallacy for years, even when the country and sensible Nationalist MSPs like Michelle Thomson are calling for him to do the decent thing.
'Scotland's public bodies, who adopted gender self-ID at the SNP's behest, need strong, unequivocal guidance from ministers in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.
'Instead, they're getting dither and delay from a First Minister focused only on managing his hopelessly divided party.'
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The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
I look forward to meeting Swinney, says Trump as he leaves US for Scotland
US President Donald Trump has said he is looking forward to meeting Scottish First Minister John Swinney. The pair are expected to meet during the president's four-day trip to Scotland, which is expected to begin on Friday evening. Mr Trump will visit both of the golf clubs he owns in the country – Turnberry in South Ayrshire and Menie, near Aberdeen, in the coming days. Before boarding the presidential plane Air Force One to fly to Scotland, he told journalists: 'The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him.' He also said he has a 'lot of love' for Scotland. Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the visit on Friday, Mr Swinney said the meeting will be 'an opportunity to 'essentially speak out for Scotland' on international issues such as Gaza, as well as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland. 'There are clearly also significant international issues upon which the people of Scotland have a view and want to have that view expressed by their First Minister,' he said. 'That relates to the awfulness of the situation in Gaza and the unbearable human suffering that is going on in Gaza. 'I want to make sure that those concerns and those views are expressed to the president of the United States. 'We have that opportunity, and I intend to take that opportunity to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard.' Mr Swinney also urged all of those set to protest against the president's visit to do so 'peacefully and to do so within the law'.
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Donald Trump says there is a 50-50 chance of EU-US trade deal
Update: Date: 2025-07-25T15:38:30.000Z Title: more complete quotes from Trump and his comments before leaving the White House Content: US president tells reporters that Europe 'wants to make a deal very badly' as he leaves the White House for his trip to Scotland Jakub Krupa Fri 25 Jul 2025 16.38 BST First published on Fri 25 Jul 2025 09.03 BST From 2.59pm BST 14:59 I can now bring you for his trip to Scotland. Here is what he said on the prospects for a trade with the EU: 'I would say … we have a 50/50 chance, maybe less than that, but a 50/50 chance of making a deal with the EU. It will be a deal that where they have to buy down their tariffs, because right now it's 30%, they will have to buy it down. Maybe. Or they could leave it the way they are. But they want to make a deal very badly.' 4.28pm BST 16:28 Lisa O'Carroll Keir Starmer's status as Donald Trump's favourite foreign leader has been cemented again in remarks the US president made before boarding a helicopter taking him to Air Force One flight to Scotland for a private visit to his golf clubs. While he is now keeping the EU nervously waiting for a deal he said has only a '50:50' of being made, he heaped praise on the prime minister and Scottish first minister John Swinney. 'This week we want to talk about certain aspects [of the UK-US trade deal] which are going to be good for both countries, more fine tuning, also we are also going to be doing a llittle celebrating together because you know we get along very well. UK has been trying to make a deal for 12 years and haven't been able to do it… we got it done. He's doing a very good job, good prime minister good guy, we really get along very well. We are going to have good time I think, the prime minister and I get along very well, the Scottish leader too. We have a lot of things, my mother was born in Scotland, and he's a good man the Scottish leader so I'm looking forward to meeting him.' Trump warned he would be sending out a fresh batch of tariff letters this week with deals sealed with nearly all, bar the EU and Canada. He also said some countries would get a tariff rate of 10% less than 24 hours after he said the range of tariffs would be between 15% and 50%. 'Most of the deals are finished [at] a lower tariffs I can get, I don't want to hurt countries but we're going to send a letter out sometime during the week and it's basically going to say you're going to pay 10%, you're going to pay 50%, you're going to pay maybe less, I don't know. 'Australia was great, they opened the beef [inaudible] for the first time ever. … So August 1 is going to come and we will have most of our deals done, if not all. … We haven't really had a lot of luck with Canada… we are working very diligently with Europe, the EU, that covers a lot of territories, a lot countries, that's a big one right now, We haven't a deal with Canada. We haven't been focused on it.' Updated at 4.38pm BST 4.20pm BST 16:20 Meanwhile on the other side, EU officials and diplomats briefed journalists on Friday that they could reach a deal with the US this weekend, Reuters reported. The deal would likely include a 15% baseline tariff on all EU goods entering the United States and probably a 50% tariff on European steel and aluminium, the officials and diplomats said. One of the sources said a weekend deal seemed likely as the 'agreement is basically in the hands of Trump now.' 4.03pm BST 16:03 Lisa O'Carroll Donald Trump's warning that the EU only has a '50:50' chance of a tariff deal shows he is looking to extract more concessions from the bloc before 1 August, his self-imposed deadline for a deal. Boarding his plane on his way to Scotland, he breezily told reporters that he had rated chance of a recent Japan deal at worse than that, 25%, but they came with concessions and 'made a deal'. 'They kept coming back, and we made a deal,' he said warning that it was up to the EU if they wanted to stick with the 30% tariff rate he has threatened to impose on 1 August. His words will send shivers around the capitals of the EU which was hoping a second version of an agreement in principle, accepting a baseline tariff of 15% on most exports to the US, would be enough to get the US president's approval. Even this week sources close to German chancellor Friedrich Merz were expressing frustration that a deal had not already been done. Half year results published today by Volkswagen (14:52) revealed the current 25% extra tariff Trump has imposed on cars is already hurting hard. The car giant said it had taken a €1.3bn hit because of the US tariffs. There is speculation that commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and trade representative Jamieson Greer would join Trump in Scotland but they were not on the passenger list released to the media. Trump has a meeting scheduled with the British prime minister Keir Starmer on Monday, fuelling hopes that he will finish the trade deal with the UK by slashing the 25% tariff he imposed on steel exports. There is also speculation that European leaders such as Germany's Merz may try and reach out to the US president over the weekend to try and break the impasse. Merz has had a direct line to Trump in recent weeks. Updated at 4.06pm BST 3.01pm BST 15:01 Trump was also asked about Emmanuel Macron's declaration that France would recognise the Palestinian state in September, and it was clear he did not thought much of it. He said: 'Look, he's a different kind of a guy, he's okay, he's a team player pretty much. But here's the good news: what he says doesn't matter. It's not going to change anything. … This statement doesn't carry any weight.' 2.59pm BST 14:59 I can now bring you for his trip to Scotland. Here is what he said on the prospects for a trade with the EU: 'I would say … we have a 50/50 chance, maybe less than that, but a 50/50 chance of making a deal with the EU. It will be a deal that where they have to buy down their tariffs, because right now it's 30%, they will have to buy it down. Maybe. Or they could leave it the way they are. But they want to make a deal very badly.' 2.16pm BST 14:16 In the last few minutes, US president Donald Trump told reporters there was a 50-50 chance that the US would reach a trade agreement with the EU. He spoke to reporters when leaving the White House, en route to the airport and before his departure for Scotland, where he will spend the weekend. 1.52pm BST 13:52 Lisa O'Carroll The German car manufacturer Volkswagen has said Donald Trump's US import tariffs have cost it more than £1bn in the first half of the year. Volkswagen said it had made strong progress realigning the company, which is considering cutting 35,000 jobs by 2030, but that it had suffered a €1.3bn (£1.13bn) 'decline in operating result primarily due to high costs from increased US import tariffs'. The company has also reduced its profit margin range to be between 4% and 5% for the year, based on an assumption that tariffs of between 10%, at best, and the current 27.5%, at worst, will be made permanent by the US president. The group, emblematic of German industry, also makes the Audi, Seat and Skoda brands as well as the luxury marques Lamborghini and Bentley, and commercial vehicles including Scania trucks. Its reduced revenues underline the German chancellor Friedrich Merz's continued appeal to Trump to urgently sign a deal on tariffs with concessions for the EU car industry. 1.52pm BST 13:52 As the EU continues to talk with the US about a tariff deal ahead of the 1 August deadline, more and more European companies issue warnings about the costs of not getting an agreement with Washington. Over to Lisa O'Carroll for more details. 1.25pm BST 13:25 Separately, Reuters reported that Elon Musk's Starlink systems used by Ukrainian military units were down for two and a half hours overnight, a senior commander said, part of a global issue that disrupted the satellite internet provider. Starlink experienced one of its biggest international outages on Thursday when an internal software failure knocked tens of thousands of users offline, the agency reported. The commander of Ukraine's drone forces, Robert Brovdi, later said the incident had highlighted the risk of reliance on the systems, and called for communication and connectivity methods to be diversified. 12.33pm BST 12:33 Erm. We reported on Wednesday that the European Commission said (blog) it had conveyed its concerns about the anti-graft law reform in Ukraine to president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This was also confirmed on Thursday, in a separate briefing (blog). But Zelenskyy reportedly denied it today, telling reporters (via Interfax-Ukraine) that: 'I have not communicated with Ursula von der Leyen in recent days. Everything that was written about it, everything that she allegedly told me, is a fake. We did not have a conversation.' Updated at 12.49pm BST 11.48am BST 11:48 Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor Night by night, the blitz develops. Russian drones, decoys, cruise and ballistic missiles – increasingly aimed at a single city or location – are being launched in record numbers into Ukraine, straining the country's ability to defend itself and raising questions about how well it can endure another winter of war. One day earlier this month, 728 drones and 13 missiles were launched, mostly at the western city of Lutsk, home to many Ukrainian airfields. Large salvoes now come more frequently: every three to five days, rather than every 10 to 12, and civilian casualties are rising: 232 people were killed in June, the highest monthly level for three years. A 1,000-drone attack is anticipated shortly and last weekend a German army major general, Christian Freuding, predicted that the Kremlin's ambition was to attack Ukraine with '2,000 drones simultaneously'. Production of drones and missiles has improved, as have Russian tactics. Not only are the drones unleashed in larger swarms, with dozens of decoys included, but they are also being flown either much lower or at much higher altitudes, sometimes in a stack to fool the defenders before swooping down steeply to their target. The additional height takes them beyond the range of mobile Ukrainian gunners, whose job has been to shoot them down, relatively cheaply. Analyses of Ukrainian air force data show that more drones are getting through: from close to 5% in March and April to between 15% and 20% in May and June. Russia is also using its Shahed drones more intelligently, analysts say, to open a path for faster and more dangerous cruise and ballistic missiles because the 50kg (110lb) explosive normally carried by a Shahed only does a relatively limited amount of damage. Designed in Iran, the delta-winged Shahed 136s are now made in Russia, where they are known as Geran-2s. At least two factories have been identified, one in Izhevsk, and most notably in Yelabuga, more than 700 miles from Ukraine. The modern-looking assembly line was shown off on Russian television a few days ago, with dozens of distinctive fibreglass and carbon-fibre frames positioned to sinister effect in the background. 'The Shahed problem has been foreseeable for some time. Russia has been asking itself: 'What will be the T-34 of this war?'' said Jack Watling, a military expert with the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, referring to the tank that is considered by some to have helped the Soviets defeat the Nazis in the second world war. Read full report: Updated at 11.54am BST 11.14am BST 11:14 It has to be said that the French decision wasn't particularly well received by the US, with state secretary Marco Rubio calling it 'reckless' and saying 'it only serves Hamas propaganda.' Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, quipped that Macron did not say where a future Palestinian state would be located, AFP reported. 'I can now exclusively disclose that France will offer the French Riviera + the new nation will be called 'Franc-en-Stine,'' he said on X. But French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot defended the move on Friday, saying the French proposal went directly against Hamas' will. 'Hamas has always ruled out a two-state solution. By recognising Palestine, France goes against that terrorist organisation,' he argued on X. Updated at 11.17am BST 10.51am BST 10:51 One story we are tracking this morning is the reactions of other major European countries to the French plans to recognise Palestine, announced by president Emmanuel Macron last night. But ahead of a E3 meeting later today – that's France, Germany and the UK – a German government spokesperson just said that 'there are no plans to recognise Palestinian state in short term', Reuters reported. But he said 'the priority now is to take long-overdue steps towards two-state solution', promising to 'increase pressure if progress is not made'. The Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said earlier that the recognition of a Palestinian state needs to be directly linked with its recognition of Israel, or otherwise 'the problem will not be solved'. Updated at 10.56am BST 10.29am BST 10:29 Kevin Rawlinson Meanwhile, the Irish hip-hop band Kneecap have criticised Hungary's far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, after they were banned from entering the country for three years ahead of a scheduled appearance at a music festival there. The group, who are outspoken supporters of Palestine, were due to perform at Sziget festival on 11 August. But the Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said on Thursday they had been banned because their 'members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups'. He said: 'Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism in any form. Their planned performance posed a national security threat and, for this reason, the group has been formally banned from Hungary for three years. If they enter, expulsion will follow under international norms.' Responding in a post on X, the group said: 'To the tens of thousands of fans who we were buzzing to see in person at Sziget, we're sorry we won't be with you. The authoritarian government of Viktor Orban say we 'pose a national security threat.' Which is fucking outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, like a hero just a few weeks ago. There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country. We stand against all hate crimes and Kneecap champions love and solidarity as well as calling out injustices where we see it. It's clear this is political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people.' Kneecap have had several shows cancelled in recent months, including at TRNSMT festival in Glasgow and at the Eden Project in Cornwall. 9.44am BST 09:44 Helena Smith in Athens Over in Greece, the culture ministry has announced that it will be extending a ban on opening hours of all archaeological sites, including the Acropolis, in Athens after the weather service predicted that scorching temperatures were unlikely to recede until Monday. The worst of the heatwave is likely to hit today and tomorrow. 'Archaeological sites will remain closed between 12:00 to 17:00 due to high temperatures for the safety of workers and visitors,' the ministry said in a statement released mid-morning today. 9.42am BST 09:42 Helena Smith Elsewhere, wildfires, described as the worst in more than half a century, have devastated large tracts of southern Cyprus, leaving at least two dead, dozens injured and hundreds displaced. As the EU announced it would send in water-bombing planes, after the island requested help though the bloc's civil protection mechanism, an estimated 250 firefighters battled to contain blazes raging on multiple fronts. By midday Thursday, nearly 24 hours after breaking out, the infernos had consumed more than 40 square miles of territory, decimating prime agricultural land and dozens of homes in village communities outside Limassol on the Troodos range. Charalambos Theopemptou, the Green MP who chairs the Cypriot parliament's environmental committee, spoke of a 'tragic situation' with blazes fuelled by extreme weather and gale-force winds. Temperatures nudging 44C in several parts of the east Mediterranean island were forecast to rise further Friday as a week-long heatwave intensified across southern Europe. 'We haven't seen such devastating fires since the Turkish invasion in 1974,' he told the Guardian. 'It's tragic, people have died, 72 houses and 91 cars have been burned, it's absolute chaos and that's also because preventative measures haven't been taken … scandalously and tragically the public warning system, an EU directive voted into law back in 2022, has not been implemented.' As a result, panic-stricken people had attempted to outrun the flames in their cars. 'Narrow streets in small communities were jam-packed and that's how people died,' Theopemptou said. 'The government has made a real mess of things. Illegal waste dumps haven't been cleared, [inflammable] vegetation hasn't been removed, basic infrastructure like big cement water tanks and hose pipe points aren't in place, all of which has helped the fires spread.' By late Thursday, Greece, Egypt, Israel and the UK, which has an RAF base on the divided island, announced they would also be weighing in with air support and fire fighters. Turkish Cypriots in the breakaway north have also offered to help with some going so far as to gather food and supplies for those in fire-stricken areas. 9.31am BST 09:31 In further comments from Zelenskyy, he confirmed that Germany will finance two Patriot systems, and Norway will pay for one, with further talks under way, including the Netherlands. In addition to securing air defence supplies, Ukraine needs to cover a financing gap of $40bn next year, Zelenskiy said in remarks released by his office and reported by Reuters. 9.03am BST 09:03 Jakub Krupa Ukraine is looking to secure funding for 10 Patriot air defence systems under the deal agreed with US president Donald Trump, with active diplomatic efforts to find sponsors for all of them, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Previously Germany suggested it could pay for two systems, with Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden among other European countries declaring their support for the initiative. In comments released to journalists on Friday, Zelenskyy also insisted he 'listened and responded adequately' to concerns over the anti-graft law, with the new bill now being proposed to resolve concerns about the anti-corruption agencies' independence. He also admitted that there should 'probably have been more of a dialogue' before the original law was adopted, AFP noted. The president added: 'I am focused on the issue of the war because right now, the number one issue in Ukraine is the war. The biggest problem is the war. The main enemy is Russia.' Zelenskyy suggested that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators started discussing a direct meeting between him and Putin in another bid to end the conflict. 'In talks with us, they have begun to discuss it. This is already progress toward some kind of meeting format.' Elsewhere, I will be looking at the E3 meeting of the UK, France and Germany on Gaza and Palestine, which will surely attract more attention after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, pledged to recognise the state of Palestine in September. Separately, Baltic defence ministers are meeting with US defence secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington, as we also await updates on the much-awaited EU-US trade deal. I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today. It's Friday, 25 July 2025, it's Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Donald Trump visit: US President set to touch down in Prestwick Airport for four-day Scotland trip
DONALD Trump is due to touch down in Scotland this evening for a four-day visit - his first visit to the UK since his re-election. The US president is expected to visit his golf resorts at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast and Menie in Aberdeenshire over the weekend. 4 4 4 4 He is also due to open his second course at Menie named after his late mother Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born on the Isle of Lewis. The President will also meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney during his Scots trip. He will be greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray when he steps off his Air Force 1, with the minister pledging to give the American leader a "warm welcome". Mr Trump's presence will result in a significant operation from Police Scotland and thousands of officers, who are expected to deal with mass protests around his golf courses and major Scottish cities. High security measures have been cranked up at his golf resorts at Turnberry and Menie, Aberdeenshire, ahead of his arrival. The ring of steel includes a strict no-fly zone at both locations. Earlier today it is believed Mr Trump's family landed at Prestwick Airport in a Trump branded jet. One eagle-eyed punter said: "It looked like a big travel operation was already well underway. "It's not every day you see plane's carrying the US President and his family land on your doorstep." It comes after the President's Secret Service motorcade was spotted after arriving in Scotland. The black SUV vehicles were seen filling up at a petrol station in Monkton after being unloaded from a huge US Air Force Globemaster plane on Thursday. Trump will be here between this evening and next Tuesday and is expected to mix golf and business with key political meetings.
