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Scotsman
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Ash Regan's Prostitution Bill is drawing some strange opposition
A UN expert has backed a bid by Alba MSP Ash Regan to criminalise those buying sex at the same time as decriminalising those selling it. Pictute: Yui Mok/PA Wire Former Edinburgh MP Joanna Cherry is clearly fed up with politicians who are more interested in getting social media likes than the hard work of policy making. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Last week she took to X (formerly Twitter) to chastise them and she didn't mince her words. '…Voters are sick of politicians with no life experience virtue signalling…while wholly failing to meaningfully address everyday issues…' She was referring to Emma Roddick, an SNP MSP well known for her large collection of campaign lanyards and fashionable causes, but she could just as well have been talking about any number of politicians, from backbenchers to government ministers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Take Siobhian Brown for example. She is Scotland's Community Safety minister, a role once held by Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan, before she resigned in protest at the SNP's Gender Recognition Reform Bill. Ash Regan is steering a private member's bill through Holyrood, which if passed would criminalise the buying of sex. This approach to prostitution is called the Nordic Model, which the Scottish Government largely supports, so the average voter would expect Siobhian Brown to back her erstwhile colleague's bill. But in a letter to the parliament's criminal justice committee, the minister has expressed deep misgivings. She wrote, 'There remain significant questions and concerns regarding the measures within the Bill and how they would work in practice, the extent to which they would deliver on the policy intent…' A more cynical observer might suggest that Brown's objection to Ash Regan's bill is more about internal party politics than effective lawmaking. After all, Regan left the SNP and is now a member of ALBA – but I wouldn't dream of making that connection. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But if Siobhian Brown's concerns are genuine, and not just sour grapes, then that begs the question about her government's previous support for the Nordic Model. Was that just another case of virtual signalling? Talking of which, Chris Murray, the Labour MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, was the only Scottish MP to sign a letter to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) last week, accusing the organisation of causing 'distress and confusion' among people who identify as transgender. The letter, drafted by another MP, one Tony Vaughan, is a response to the Supreme Court's recent ruling that, in the 2010 Equality Act, sex means biological sex. It seems that Murray and the other signatories think this is harmful. Clearly Chris Murray forget to check the Labour Party's official position before adding his name to the letter. The party's manifesto, published in advance of last year's general election when Murray was elected, states Labour is 'proud of our Equality Act and the rights and protections it affords women; we will continue to support the implementation of its single-sex exceptions.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chris Murray is a young politician, full of enthusiasm for his new job, but I hope he learns quickly that real life is not the same as student politics. He could start by reaching out to his geographical colleague, Ash Regan, and offering to support her campaign to end the purchase of sex and the exploitation of women. It would be more challenging than signing a round robin letter, but it would be an act of political courage.
Scotsman
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Ash Regan's Prostitution Bill is drawing some stange opposition
A UN expert has backed a bid by Alba MSP Ash Regan to criminalise those buying sex at the same time as decriminalising those selling it. Pictute: Yui Mok/PA Wire Former Edinburgh MP Joanna Cherry is clearly fed up with politicians who are more interested in getting social media likes than the hard work of policy making. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Last week she took to X (formerly Twitter) to chastise them and she didn't mince her words. '…Voters are sick of politicians with no life experience virtue signalling…while wholly failing to meaningfully address everyday issues…' She was referring to Emma Roddick, an SNP MSP well known for her large collection of campaign lanyards and fashionable causes, but she could just as well have been talking about any number of politicians, from backbenchers to government ministers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Take Siobhian Brown for example. She is Scotland's Community Safety minister, a role once held by Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan, before she resigned in protest at the SNP's Gender Recognition Reform Bill. Ash Regan is steering a private member's bill through Holyrood, which if passed would criminalise the buying of sex. This approach to prostitution is called the Nordic Model, which the Scottish Government largely supports, so the average voter would expect Siobhian Brown to back her erstwhile colleague's bill. But in a letter to the parliament's criminal justice committee, the minister has expressed deep misgivings. She wrote, 'There remain significant questions and concerns regarding the measures within the Bill and how they would work in practice, the extent to which they would deliver on the policy intent…' A more cynical observer might suggest that Brown's objection to Ash Regan's bill is more about internal party politics than effective lawmaking. After all, Regan left the SNP and is now a member of ALBA – but I wouldn't dream of making that connection. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But if Siobhian Brown's concerns are genuine, and not just sour grapes, then that begs the question about her government's previous support for the Nordic Model. Was that just another case of virtual signalling? Talking of which, Chris Murray, the Labour MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, was the only Scottish MP to sign a letter to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) last week, accusing the organisation of causing 'distress and confusion' among people who identify as transgender. The letter, drafted by another MP, one Tony Vaughan, is a response to the Supreme Court's recent ruling that, in the 2010 Equality Act, sex means biological sex. It seems that Murray and the other signatories think this is harmful. Clearly Chris Murray forget to check the Labour Party's official position before adding his name to the letter. The party's manifesto, published in advance of last year's general election when Murray was elected, states Labour is 'proud of our Equality Act and the rights and protections it affords women; we will continue to support the implementation of its single-sex exceptions.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chris Murray is a young politician, full of enthusiasm for his new job, but I hope he learns quickly that real life is not the same as student politics. He could start by reaching out to his geographical colleague, Ash Regan, and offering to support her campaign to end the purchase of sex and the exploitation of women. It would be more challenging than signing a round robin letter, but it would be an act of political courage.
Daily Record
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Scotland will become a 'pimp nation' unless we ban the purchase of sex, says MSP
Alba's Ash Regan has introduced her bill to clampdown on people who pay for sex to Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee. Scotland risks becoming a "pimp nation" if it does not ban the purchase of sex, an MSP has said. Alba's Ash Regan has introduced her bill to clampdown on people who pay for sex to Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee. The Edinburgh Eastern MSP said: ' Prostitution is not a theoretical debate. It is happening right now - in our cities, towns, and communities—to real women, many of whom are poor, addicted, traumatised, or displaced. "When women are reduced to what men can buy from them - we cannot look away. We must not allow Scotland to become a pimp nation.' kerb crawling laws. Regan's Bill would turn the tables by criminalising the purchase of sexual acts and decriminalising the selling of sex. She is proposing fines of up to £10,000 and six month jail sentences for sex buyers. Criminalisation of the buying of sex has been adopted in countries such as Sweden and Norway. It comes after the Daily Record's bombshell front page about a former prostitute claiming current MSPs bought sex from her when she sold her body for money. Regan told us last month the woman who was a former prostitute came forward to her after recognising her former male clients on TV. She said at the time: 'We know that in Scotland about one man in ten will buy sex, so that would suggest to us that there is a likelihood that there would be MSPs that buy sex, and there would be people in the civil service that buy sex. 'It was confirmed to me today that there are current, serving MSPs - and that is plural, so not just one, but there are multiple - who are sex buyers.' She added: 'She described seeing them on television'.' Asked if she believed the woman, Regan replied: 'Yes.' Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has since called for an investigation into 'horrifying' claims male MSPs paid a prostitute for sex. The issue was also later raised in Westminster by Labour MP Tracy Gilbert.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Prostitution Scotland: Just 25 men a year to be prosecuted under £2.6m Ash Regan proposals
Ash Regan MSP has published proposals to criminalise the buying of sex in Scotland. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Just 25 men a year are predicted to be prosecuted each year under £2.6 million proposals to overhaul prostitution laws in Scotland. Alba MSP Ash Regan wants to introduce what is known as the Nordic model to Scotland, which would legalise the selling of sex and criminalise the buying of sex. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She launched her Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill last week, and said there is an 'epidemic of violence against women' and a national 'system of exploitation' which needs to be tackled. Ministry of Justice figures show 138 inmates, or 23.3 per cent of all prisoners at Hindley Prison, were living in crowded cells as of March. However, campaigners who oppose her proposals dispute her claims of an 'epidemic' as her bill predicts as few as 45 new crimes will be recorded annually each year under the Nordic model. Ms Regan suggests 25 people are likely to be prosecuted each year with 'two cases at most' leading to prison sentences under her proposals. Under the current legislations, an average of 50 charges and 40 convictions are made annually. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad National Ugly Mugs, which works with those involved in what they describe as sex work, say those involved already face high levels of violence, stigma and exploitation, but criminalising those who buy sex from them will not remove these harms. Instead, the group fears it will push the industry underground, making it harder to report abuse and easier to target those already at risk. They also dispute how much the bill will cost to implement. In a financial memorandum on her bill, Ms Regan claims it will cost up to £2.6m in its first year to enforce, falling to £2.2m annually thereafter. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, National Ugly Mugs says the documents contain 'a number of mathematical and factual errors' meaning the true cost will actually be much higher. The group, which supports the full decriminalisation of prostitution, says it will cost closer to £2.7m to train Police Scotland officers to enforce the new law, rather than the £17,000 Ms Regan has quoted. National Ugly Mugs also disputes Ms Regan's claims that each case will cost £477 once a person is arrested as it will take six hours to complete - the group says the UK Home Office's independent policing productivity review from 2024 suggests it takes on average 63 hours to complete a case. Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan's Bill would criminalise the purchase of sexual acts. Picture: Getty Images. | Getty Images Lynsey Walton, chief executive of National Ugly Mugs, said: 'Ash Regan is trying to have it both ways. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'In public she claims that the Nordic model is needed to stop a national epidemic of abuse, but privately she admits that changing the law would lead to only a handful of cases a year - on par with littering. 'As the UK's national sex worker safety charity, National Ugly Mugs works with police forces across the country to support sex workers during investigations. 'This means we know that Ms Regan's estimates of police time needed to enforce her proposed legislation are laughably false, just like her ludicrous claims that it cost just 50p an hour to train officers. 'Sex worker groups, alongside non-government organisations like Amnesty and the World Health Organisation, oppose the new law on the grounds that it will make life more difficult and dangerous for sex workers, while costing taxpayers millions of pounds a year to enforce. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'If we truly want to address systemic violence against sex workers, we need full decriminalisation, not another expensive, performative policy that protects no-one.'
Scotsman
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Politics needs more women like the late, great Margo
I am not alone in my admiration for the late, and yes, great Margo MacDonald. A founding mother of the Scottish Parliament, she served first as an SNP MSP for Lothian until she was thrown out of the party in 2003 for being too 'independent'. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... But such was her popular appeal that she subsequently won three elections in a row as an independent candidate. Her untimely death in 2014 robbed Holyrood, the country and our city of one of our finest politicians. Ash Regan MSP, right, has unveiled a private members' bill in the Scottish Parliament that would make buying sex a criminal offence (Picture: Andrew Milligan) And just as she wasn't afraid to challenge the male leaders of her party – she wasn't best friends with either Alex Salmond or John Swinney – she didn't shy away from controversial issues. As she struggled with Parkinson's – the debilitating disease that eventually killed her – she introduced a bill to legalise assisted dying. She died before it reached its first stage in the parliament, where it failed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And she twice introduced a bill on street prostitution in an effort to allow councils to set up "tolerance zones' before dropping her measure in favour of the government's 2007 Prostitution (Public Places) (Scotland) Act 2007, which made kerb-crawling a criminal offence. I thought about Margo a lot this week when Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan introduced 'Unbuyable' – her private members bill on prostitution which aims to make it an offence for a man to pay for sex acts. I used to enjoy sparring with Margo over independence – she was of course a fervent supporter of Scotland leaving the UK, while I wanted – and still do – us to stay. But we used to agree on prostitution. As a young councillor on the city's Licensing Committee in the 1990s, I regularly voted to grant "entertainment' licenses to saunas, in the full knowledge that they were brothels. Like Margo, I thought the right thing to do was to manage prostitution, to provide women with a safe environment, whether indoors or on the streets. I once agreed with Margo's assertion: 'Few cities in the world have ever managed prostitution better than here in Edinburgh.' But I was wrong. Prostitution is nothing more than the violent sexual exploitation of vulnerable women and girls. Marginalised women, some struggling with drug addiction, and often survivors of childhood sexual abuse, are persuaded that a life in prostitution is a job like any other. And our city has become a magnet for sex traffickers who bring women from across the world to effectively imprison them in brothels. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I have no idea if Margo would support Ash Regan's bill if she were still with us, but I do know that she would applaud her courage and determination in bringing the legislation forward. Our parliament is full of time-servers – back-benchers and ministers who get by simply by parroting their party's message of the day. Ash Regan is different. She resigned her government job on a matter of principle over the SNP's gender reforms, and she left the party to join Alba because it had 'lost its focus on independence'. Like Margo, she is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, even if it makes her unpopular in some quarters. Politics needs more women like them.
