Scottish Tory leadership candidate Murdo Fraser says he still doesn’t support gay marriage
A Scottish Tory leadership candidate has said he still does not support gay marriage because of his religious beliefs, 10 years after voting against it.
However, Murdo Fraser told Sky News that he is now “quite relaxed” about same-sex adoption, having previously voiced opposition to it.
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Mr Fraser, a Scottish MSP, added that personal religious beliefs “should not be a barrier to standing for office”.
The Scottish parliament overwhelmingly voted to allow gay couples to marry in 2014.
At the time, Mr Fraser was one of 18 MSPs to oppose it, saying it could threaten the charitable status of faith-based groups and providers that do not recognise same-sex marriage.
Mr Fraser also opposed same-sex couples being able to adopt, saying during a debate on the issue in 2006 that “children need male and female role models” and “people who express such views are not homophobes, extremists or, as some suggest, ‘religious nutters'”.
“They have genuine concerns that should not be dismissed with name calling and abuse”, he had said.
Mr Fraser told Sky News he has since changed his opinion and is “quite relaxed” about same-sex adoption.
However, he said he is still opposed to same-sex marriage because of his religious beliefs.
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Asked about criticism from some other MSPs that he is “stuck in the past”, he said: “Most people are understanding that politicians are entitled to have personal religious views and that should not be a barrier to them standing for office.”
Mr Fraser was speaking after his campaign launch to replace Douglas Ross as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, with Russell Findlay and Meghan Gallacher also in contention for the top job.
According to the Daily Record, which first reported on the story, he was joined on stage by MSP colleague Jamie Greene, who is openly gay.
‘Stuck in the past’
Mr Fraser told the newspaper they disagreed on some issues but could work as part of the same team.
But Green MSP Maggie Chapman said Mr Fraser’s voting record is “truly woeful, even by the standards of the Scottish Tories”.
“He has opposed almost every progressive change our parliament has passed while trying to block almost every step towards equality,” she said.
“The fact that he’s doubled down on this only shows that Scotland may have changed but Murdo Fraser is still stuck in the past.”
This issue has previously been contentious in Scottish politics.
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MSPs Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher. Pics: PA
Last year, Kate Forbes’s leadership campaign to replace Nicola Sturgeon de-railed when the then-Scottish finance secretary admitted she would have voted against gay marriage had she been a politician when it was legalised.
She subsequently told Sky News that her faith, as a member of the Free Church of Scotland, means having children outside of marriage is “wrong” and something she personally would “seek to avoid”.
She also opposed her party’s now-dead gender legislation and failed to fully commit to banning all forms of conversion therapy.
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Although she insisted she was progressive and people could “do what they want in a free society”, the scrutiny of her beliefs led to many of her colleagues dropping support for her and she ultimately came in second behind Humza Yousaf.
When Mr Yousaf resigned a year later she did not enter the race to succeed him, but was made deputy first minister by his replacement John Swinney.
A workman saved a seven-year-old boy from a burning car in the aftermath of a deadly crash caused by a suicidal ex-pilot, an inquest has heard.
The schoolboy’s rescue came following the collision on the M6, which killed former RAF man Richard Woods and four others, in October last year.
Last week a coroner ruled that Woods, 40, took his own life by deliberately driving his Skoda the wrong way down the motorway while drunk and hitting a Toyota Yaris head-on.
The driver of the Toyota, Jaroslaw Rossa, 42, was also killed, along with his two sons, Filip, 15, and Dominic, seven, and his partner Jade McEnroe, 33.
Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday that Ms McEnroe’s son was also in the car but survived after workman Gavin Walsh came to his rescue at the scene, which was near Tebay services in Cumbria.
In a statement to the inquest, Mr Walsh said he was a passenger in a transit van travelling to Scotland when he witnessed the crash.
He jumped out of the vehicle and used a jack to smash the rear windscreen of the Toyota and pulled the boy out of the burning vehicle.
Mr Walsh said: “We really did try, I can assure everyone we did our best. We only had minimal time.
“I saved a life that day and I hope never to witness anything like that again.”
He added that he has never stopped thinking about the boy, and said: “I hope we will meet again one day and I will give you a massive hug.”
At the time, the family were returning to Glasgow from a trip to Legoland in Windsor, Berkshire.
The inquest heard that Wood, who was travelling at a speed of at least 65mph, would have been charged with manslaughter had he survived.
Recording conclusions of unlawful killing, Cumbria assistant coroner Margaret Taylor said: “I found that Jaroslaw, Jade, Filip and Dominic died as a consequence of the unlawful acts of another driver.”
The inquest heard how Mr Woods, from Cambridgeshire, had served a distinguished 14-year career in the RAF and was a flight instructor for BAE Systems at the time of his death.
Jade McEnroe. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Dominic and Filip. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
In Ms Taylor’s record of inquest, Mr Woods was said to have been experiencing “a number of stressors in his life” and had a “history of harmful use of alcohol”.
Following the crash, he was found to be nearly four times over the legal drink-drive limit and a two-thirds empty bottle of gin was found in his car.
On the day of his death, concerns had been raised over his behaviour at a work conference near Preston in Lancashire.
Mr Woods failed to return to his seat after lunch and was later spotted driving erratically and swerving across three northbound carriageway lanes on the M6.
After pulling onto the hard shoulder, he then proceeded to U-turn and drove southward on lane three.
Filip, Dominic and Jaroslaw Rossa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Detective Sergeant Deborah Story, from Cumbria Police, told the inquest that Mr Woods would have been prosecuted on four counts of manslaughter had he lived.
She said hypothetical charges of murder were considered by detectives but not thought appropriate because of a lack of information that Mr Woods knew the family or anything that provided a link between them.
Ms McEnroe’s parents, Marie McEnroe and George McNellis, told the coroner they thought it was “murder”.
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A statement from the mother of Filip and Dominic, and the ex-wife of Mr Rossa, Kamila, was read out at the inquest.
She said Mr Rossa, known as Jarek, was born in Poland where they became a couple and went on to have three boys.
He loved playing computer games and had “lots of friends”, she said, and worked at the Wagamama restaurant in Silverburn, Glasgow.
She said she was “devastated” over the deaths, adding: “Our lives will never be the same.
“I am heartbroken at the passing of my beloved angels Filip and Dominic.”
Marie McEnroe said her daughter, a spa therapist, had been in a relationship with Mr Rossa for about two-and-a-half years.
She said Jade had been a “brilliant mother” to her only child, was “really happy” with Mr Rossa and it was “lovely chaos” when all the boys were playing together.
Ms McEnroe added: “Life changed forever that day”.
Ms Taylor praised the “selfless acts of bravery” from those in the aftermath of the collision, including Mr Walsh, who she said went towards the burning car “without hesitation for his own safety”.
The coroner added: “Without his swift response, Jade’s child would also have perished.”
Addressing the bereaved family members, she said: “Your loss is unimaginable but you have conducted yourself with dignity and I thank you for that. I wish you strength for the future.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
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