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People aged 16 will be able to apply to change their gender in Scotland, while the time required for someone to live in their acquired gender is to be slashed to three months after a controversial bill was passed.

After two long days of debate in the Scottish Parliament, the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill has been passed by 86 votes to 39.

The bill means:

• The minimum age at which someone can apply for a gender recognition certificate (GRC) will be lowered to 16 from 18.

• There will no longer be a need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria in order to receive a GRC.

• The time required for an applicant to live in their acquired gender will be cut from two years to three months with a three-month reflection period (six months for 16 and 17-year-olds).

However, the bill might still face hold ups, with the UK government already suggesting it could block it gaining Royal Assent.

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‘Toxic row’ over gender bill exposes division in Scottish parliament –
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After two long days of debate in the Scottish Parliament, the controversial Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill has passed.

The bill has proved to be one of the most controversial in Holyrood since devolution but it passed following support from many in the SNP, Greens, Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Protesters took part in demonstrations both for and against the bill outside Holyrood on Wednesday as MSPs went through the final amendments.

And as Alison Johnstone, Holyrood’s presiding officer, announced the result, there were shouts of “shame on you” from the public gallery.

Opponents have raised concerns over its impact on the safety of women and girls, arguing the bill should not have been passed as it fails to protect women’s rights and single-sex spaces.

The UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women and girls said the reforms could allow violent males to “abuse” the system.

But the Scottish government has insisted the legislation will not impact the UK’s Equality Act, which allows trans people to be excluded from single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and shelters.

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SNP on Scotland’s gender reforms

The bill also proved controversial as it means the laws in Scotland will now be different to the rest of the UK.

More than 60 of the 153 amendments were voted on in the first sitting on Tuesday, with the rest the day after.

There were protests from the public gallery when an amendment that would make it harder for sex offenders to apply for a GRC was voted down.

The Scottish Conservatives appeared to be attempting to make the proceedings last as long as possible, tabling four amendments, a motion and a number of points of order before the debate had started – meaning the sitting on Tuesday finished at 12.15am.

The next sitting, which began on Wednesday, ran even later eventually concluding at 1.15am on Thursday morning.

Supporters of the For Women Scotland and the Scottish Feminist Network take part in a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, ahead of the vote on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. Picture date: Wednesday December 21, 2022.
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Supporters of the For Women Scotland and the Scottish Feminist Network in a protest ahead of the vote

While First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been a strong supporter of the bill, not all in the SNP have toed the line, with seven MSPs from the ruling party voting against it and two others abstaining at stage one.

Minister Ash Regan was forced to quit over her objection.

MSPs backed a change on Tuesday which means anyone subject to a sexual harm prevention order or sexual offences prevention order will not be allowed to obtain a GRC.

An amendment to ensure applications are paused if an applicant is charged with a sexual offence until their case is disposed of divided members evenly, with the deputy presiding officer voting against it so it was not added to the bill.

The SNP deputy leader in Westminster, Mhairi Black, welcomed the passing of the bill on Twitter, posting the word “finally” along with a trans flag emoji.

Trans rights activist Dylan Hamilton told Sky News: “It [the bill] makes it easier for banking and easier to apply for a passport. I socially transitioned when I was 13, it was pretty obvious for me, I knew I wanted to transition.

“A GRC is sort of an administrative thing, it doesn’t affect your right to spaces, it’s not kind of a ‘pass to be trans’. Transwomen, transmen have been using the toilets of their choice for years, I know I have.”

However, the passage of the bill does not completely clear its path to the statute book.

The Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, is now able to legally challenge the law if he believes it impacts on the UK, while private groups are also able to take legal action if they wish to do so.

In a statement after the final vote, Mr Jack said the UK government would consider taking it to the Supreme Court.

“We share the concerns that many people have regarding certain aspects of this bill, and in particular the safety issues for women and children,” he said.

“We will look closely at that, and also the ramifications for the 2010 Equality Act and other UK wide legislation, in the coming weeks – up to and including a Section 35 order stopping the bill going for Royal Assent if necessary.”

UK equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has also raised concerns about the impact of the bill on the rest of the country.

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100 firefighters tackling blaze at nine-storey building in London’s White City

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100 firefighters tackling blaze at nine-storey building in London's White City

About 100 firefighters are battling a blaze in a nine-storey building in London’s White City.

Fifteen fire engines are also in attendance at the building on Wood Lane, with the fire affecting floors towards the top of the building, the London Fire Brigade said.

The building is the old BBC Television Centre, which was the broadcaster’s headquarters until 2013.

Wood Lane is closed to traffic and people are advised to avoid the area.

First reports of the blaze were received just after 3am and crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene.

Two 32-metre turntable ladders are being deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height, the brigade said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

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In an update at around 6.40am, the fire brigade said the blaze is currently affecting floors towards the top of the building.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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Lammy, Cooper and Mahmood get new jobs in major reshuffle after Rayner’s resignation

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Lammy, Cooper and Mahmood get new jobs in major reshuffle after Rayner's resignation

David Lammy has been stripped of his role as foreign secretary, and given the job of justice secretary, along with the role of deputy PM.

Mr Lammy‘s move was one of the most momentous of Sir Keir Starmer‘s ministerial reshuffle on Friday afternoon, which saw a whole host of roles change hands, and two departments partially combined.

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The PM moved him away from one of the great offices of state, despite his apparently burgeoning ‘bromance’ with US vice president JD Vance. But Mr Lammy benefited from Angela Rayner‘s departure.

David Lammy arrives in Downing Street following his appointment as deputy PM. Pic: PA
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David Lammy arrives in Downing Street following his appointment as deputy PM. Pic: PA

The deputy prime minister and housing secretary resigned from government on Friday morning, after it was found she had breached the ministerial code over her tax affairs. Sir Keir regretfully accepted her resignation, leaving her roles vacant.

Thus began the ministerial reshuffle, brought forward by several weeks as a result of Ms Rayner’s departure.

Mr Lammy has been given the role of deputy prime minister, and appeared cheery on Friday afternoon – strolling up Downing Street in the sunshine with a big smile on his face.

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David Lammy appointed deputy PM

His move from the Foreign Office to the Ministry of Justice then allowed Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, to take on Mr Lammy’s previous job. She has never served in any role involving foreign affairs before, bar a three-month stint as shadow foreign secretary in 2010.

Her pivot to foreign affairs then allowed the biggest promotion of them all, with then justice secretary and key Starmer ally, Shabana Mahmood, being appointed as home secretary.

This means that for the first time in British history, all three great offices of state, after the prime minister, are held by women.

Shabana Mahmood arrives at Downing Street after being appointed home secretary. Pic: PA
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Shabana Mahmood arrives at Downing Street after being appointed home secretary. Pic: PA

With those roles rejigged, and Number 10 insisting from the start that Rachel Reeves was safe as chancellor, it was time to tinker with the rest of the cabinet.

It appears that while the reshuffle was carried out unexpectedly early, a lot of thought had gone into it.

Sir Keir began by creating a new ‘super ministry’, combining the skills remit of the Department for Education with the Department for Work and Pensions.

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Cooper appointed foreign secretary

Pat McFadden, on Friday morning the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (the highest ranking Cabinet Office minister), has been given responsibility for this new ministerial empire. It also means that Bridget Phillipson, who was and remains the education secretary, has had her responsibilities slimmed down.

Officially, Mr McFadden has become the work and pensions secretary. This meant the current occupant of that role, Liz Kendall, also needed to be reshuffled.

She has now been appointed as the science, innovation and technology secretary. Her predecessor in that role, Peter Kyle, in turn received a promotion to lead the Department of Business and Trade.

Peter Kyle has been promoted to business secretary
Pic: PA
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Peter Kyle has been promoted to business secretary
Pic: PA

Mr Kyle made incorporating and using AI a key part of his first year in office, and had been seen to be doing well in the job. His promotion, though, has led to the current business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, being left without a department.

While he remains in the cabinet, his appointment to the job of chief whip is unlikely to be viewed as a promotion.

The reshuffle brought better news for Darren Jones, who was only promoted on Monday to the newly created role of chief secretary to the prime minister.

He got to keep his role, but was gifted Mr McFadden’s old job – chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – to add to his growing political portfolio.

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Starmer’s effort to reset govt

Read more:
Cabinet reshuffle: Who’s in and who’s out
What a moment for Shabana Mahmood
Cooper picking up the reins at a challenging time

Steve Reed, another long-time Starmer ally, benefitted alongside Mr Lammy from Ms Rayner’s departure. He has been given her former role of housing secretary, leaving behind the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Also ending in a better position than they started off on Friday morning are Emma Reynolds, a Treasury minister who has now received Mr Reed’s old job, and trade minister Douglas Alexander, who has now become the Scotland secretary. Sir Alan Campbell, previously chief whip, has now become leader of the House of Commons.

On the other side of the spectrum, former leader of the Commons Lucy Powell, and ex-Scotland secretary Ian Murray, joined Ms Rayner in leaving the government. Both were sacked, and both made clear their desire not to lose their roles.

Sacked ministers Lucy Powell and Ian Murray.
Pic: PA
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Sacked ministers Lucy Powell and Ian Murray.
Pic: PA

Ms Powell said it had been “an honour” to serve but warned that “the future of our democracy looks uncertain”, citing rising levels of “abuse, misrepresentation…. and the call for easy answers”.

Mr Murray also echoed this sentiment, stating that politics in the UK “is at a dangerous crossroads”. He called on MPs to bring “prosperity, hope and our communities together, rather than furthering division and despair”, and said he would support Sir Keir’s government from the backbenches.

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Cabinet reshuffle: Who’s on Keir Starmer’s new team and who’s out?

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Cabinet reshuffle: Who's on Keir Starmer's new team and who's out?

Sir Keir Starmer has reshuffled his cabinet following Angela Rayner’s resignation after admitting she had not paid enough stamp duty on the purchase of a new home.

The prime minister’s former right-hand woman stepped down as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy leader of the Labour Party after standards adviser Sir Laurie Magnus found she had breached the ministerial code.

Politics latest: Reshuffle after Rayner quits

She paid standard stamp duty on a flat she bought in Hove, East Sussex, in May after taking advice that it counted as her only home due to her disabled son’s trust owning the family home in Ashton-under-Lyne – but it was established she should have paid more.

Her resignation has left a hole around the cabinet table, which Sir Keir is now filling.

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The rise and fall of Angela Rayner

It was stressed early on Chancellor Rachel Reeves would remain as chancellor, in an attempt to stop the markets moving.

Read more: The working class mum who left school at 16 and became deputy PM

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This is who is moving and where to:

David Lammy – foreign secretary to justice secretary and deputy PM

After flexing his diplomatic muscles with Donald Trump and his deputy JD Vance over the past year, Mr Lammy will now move to the justice brief.

The move is likely to be a blow as the PM had promised, most recently in November, he would be foreign secretary for the whole parliament until 2029.

Although he is no longer holding one of the four great offices of state, he has also been made deputy prime minister, presumably to soften the blow.

Mr Lammy is close to Sir Keir, both as a friend and in his next door constituency, and was seen grinning as he went into Number 10 after being appointed.

Yvette Cooper – home secretary to foreign secretary

The Labour stalwart had made tackling illegal migration a priority, so the move could be seen as a disappointment for her.

However, she remains in one of the four great offices of state – PM, chancellor, foreign and home.

Shabana Mahmood – justice secretary to home secretary

A big promotion, the straight-talking Labour MP will be tasked with tackling the small boats crisis and asylum seeker hotel protests.

She is no stranger to making difficult decisions, deciding to free criminals early to reduce prison overcrowding as justice secretary.

Her move makes it the first time all three great offices of state, after the prime minister, are held by women.

Pat McFadden – chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and intergovernmental minister to work and pensions secretary and head of “super ministry”

Often seen as Sir Keir’s “number two”, Mr McFadden will take over a newly formed “super ministry”.

It will include the department for work and pensions and the skills remit of the department for education – taking a large part of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s brief and taking over from Liz Kendall as work and pensions secretary.

While it is not a promotion at first glance, it is a much wider role than he has had as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – the highest-ranking Cabinet Office minister after the PM.

Darren Jones – chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

It is the second new job in the space of one week for the new chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The close ally of the prime minister was promoted from chief secretary to the Treasury on Monday to chief secretary to the prime minister. And now he gets another new job.

Steve Reed – environment secretary to housing secretary

A promotion for the man who has consistently defended the government lifting inheritance tax relief on farmers.

He takes over one of the two major vacancies left by Ms Rayner and will have the massive task of building 1.5 million new homes during this parliament, as promised by the government.

Jonathan Reynolds – business and trade secretary to chief whip

A slightly odd move for the MP seen as a steady pair of hands in his business secretary role.

He takes over from Sir Alan Campbell and will now have to hustle Labour MPs to vote with the government – something that has sometimes proved difficult with the current cohort.

Mr Reynolds will also attend cabinet, as is necessary so he can liaise between the party and No 10.

Peter Kyle – science secretary to business and trade secretary

A promotion for Mr Kyle, who is taking over from Jonathan Reynolds.

He is seen as a rising star and impressed Labour MPs when he refused to stand down after suggesting Nigel Farage was on the side of people like Jimmy Savile by opposing the government’s online safety law.

Mr Kyle will be in charge of getting trade deals with other countries over the line.

Emma Reynolds – economic secretary to the Treasury to environment secretary

Probably the biggest promotion of the reshuffle, Ms Reynolds is taking on Mr Reed’s role after serving as a junior minister in the Treasury.

She will have to take on farmers and deal with the water companies – a big undertaking.

Liz Kendall – work and pensions secretary to science, innovation and technology secretary

Pat McFadden has taken her role as work and pensions secretary, while Ms Kendall takes over Peter Kyle’s brief.

He has made AI a major facet of his role so we will wait to see which direction Ms Kendall takes the job in.

Douglas Alexander – trade policy minister to Scotland secretary

A promotion for the Blair/Brown minister who returned to politics last year after being ousted in 2015 by then 20-year-old SNP MP Mhairi Black.

He takes over from Ian Murray, who has been removed from the cabinet.

Sir Alan Campbell – Chief whip to Lord President of the Council and leader of the House of Commons

An MP since 1997 and part of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s frontbench, Sir Alan is taking over Lucy Powell’s role.

He will be in charge of organising government business in the Commons – a sizeable job.

Who is out?

Lucy Powell has been sacked as leader of the House of Commons.

Ian Murray has been sacked as Scotland secretary.

Not out – but

Bridget Phillipson remains as education secretary but her brief has narrowed as Mr McFadden has taken over the skills part of her job.

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