Scottish parliament staff banned from wearing rainbow lanyards and badges
Scottish parliament staff will no longer be allowed to wear rainbow lanyards or pins and badges at Holyrood that show support for social movements or campaigns.
The announcement follows a review of the code of conduct for Scottish Parliamentary Service (SPS) staff.
The ban will apply to Scottish parliament staff, not MSPs or their workers.
The move was confirmed in the chamber on Thursday by MSP Claire Baker, a member of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB).
Ms Baker said: “Corporate body staff must conduct themselves in an impartial manner.
“As an update, corporate body staff have until recently been allowed to wear personalised lanyards. This was introduced in 2017 as part of diversity inclusion strategy.
“However, a review of the code of conduct has just been completed.
“A decision has been taken that all staff must wear the parliament-issued purple lanyard – staff who are employed by corporate body.
“This decision will help to minimise the risk of perceived bias and avoid any perception that wearing such items may be influencing our own decision-making.”
MSP Claire Baker, a member of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. Pic: Scottish Parliament TV
An email sent on Wednesday to Scottish parliament staff by Lorna Foreman, group head for people and culture, said the policy change would begin with immediate effect and all group heads are “expected to support this”.
The staff now must wear a parliament-issued purple lanyard and remove any pins or badges showing support for social movements and towards any campaigns or organisations.
Ms Foreman said: “Wearing personalised lanyards and/or pins and badges showing support for social movements and towards campaigns or organisations has led some organisations and individuals to consider that the SPS cannot be impartial when supporting the parliament to debate government policy, proposed new laws and current significant societal issues.
“This decision will help to minimise the risk of perceived bias and avoid any perception that wearing such items may be influencing our own decision-making.”
Read more from Sky News:
Water regulator spent public money on gift cards, travel and course in US
First minister says ‘disinformation’ being spread about Scotland’s new hate crime law
Staff, however, can continue to wear a pronoun pin or badge.
Those who wear sunflower lanyards/pins/badges that indicate they have a disability can continue to do so but must also wear a purple lanyard.
Staff can also continue to wear pins such as “first aider” and badges that show they are Gaelic speakers.
Poppy badges in support of Poppy Scotland may be worn, which is in line with the parliament’s charities and fundraising policy.
Staff can also continue to wear pins and badges showing membership of a SPCB-recognised trade union.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Ms Foreman accepted it will be “difficult for some colleagues” but the parliament remains committed to “creating a culture where all people feel safe, valued, included, and able to be their best at work”.
A Scottish parliament spokesperson said: “This decision will help minimise the risk of perceived bias.
“It will also help avoid any potential misperception over the absolute impartiality of all Scottish parliamentary staff.”
Most RWAs remain isolated and underutilized instead of composable, DeFi-ready building blocks. It’s time to change that.
Thousands of savers face potential losses after a $2.7 million shortfall was discovered at Ziglu, a British crypto fintech that entered special administration.
Politics
Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
Politics Hub: Catch up on the latest
Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
Read more:
Reeves won’t rule out tax rises
What is a wealth tax and how would it work?
👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈      
Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike