SNP Government has 'no plans' to cut ties with Stonewall after Supreme Court trans ruling

The Scottish Government says it has “no plans” to withdraw from a Stonewall scheme despite the charity being accused of spreading “misinformation” about the Supreme Court trans ruling.

The Government is part of the LGBT+ charity’s Diversity Champions initiative. For an annual fee of £3,000, members are ranked on their inclusion policies by Stonewall’s workplace equality index.

In 2021 it was revealed employers were given a higher score on this index for demonstrating pro-trans policies such as removing “gendered language”.

The Charity Commission welcomed the ruling that went against transgender rights group Mermaids. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images | Angela Weiss/Getty Images

Several Whitehall departments, including the Home Office and HM Treasury, left the scheme over the charity’s stance on gender ideology earlier this year.

The Scottish Conservatives say the decision shows how “out of touch” SNP ministers are, particularly after Stonewall claimed the Supreme Court judgement was “not law as of yet”, despite the Equality and Human Rights Commission saying the ruling has “immediate effect”.

Last month the Supreme Court ruled the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex only.

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Tess White, the Scottish Conservatives’ equalities spokeswoman, said: “It is shocking that SNP ministers remain in thrall to this organisation who are peddling misinformation about a ruling from the highest court in the land.

“Rather than strengthening ties with Stonewall, they should be cutting them. This decision confirms how out of touch SNP ministers remain on these issues.

“Various organisations have shown common sense and withdrawn from this programme in recent years, including the Scottish Parliament itself, as well as the BBC and the EHRC.”

​Tess White MSP has expressed her concerns.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “The First Minister has been clear that the Scottish Government accepts the judgement of the Supreme Court.

“We are committed to supporting LGBTQI+ people, including through funding for Stonewall to advance equality for this group. This is particularly important at a time when we are seeing a rise in attacks against the LGBTQI+ community.”

A Stonewall spokesman said its workplace inclusion programmes were the “gold standard for employers that want to embed equality for LGBTQ+ people in the workplace”. The organisation said: “Now that the ruling has been made by the Supreme Court we, along with many others, are highlighting the importance of considering its wide-ranging implications.

“The EHRC has announced a consultation and there will then be a subsequent parliamentary process before any updated statutory guidance is published.”