The UK government has decided to block a controversial Scottish bill designed to make it easier for people to change their legal gender.
UK ministers say the draft law would conflict with equality protections applying across Great Britain.
It is the first time a Scottish law has been blocked for affecting UK-wide law.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the move a “full-frontal attack” on the Scottish Parliament and vowed to oppose it.
She said the Scottish ministers would “defend” the bill, warning if the veto succeeded it would be the “first of many”.
The Scottish government is expected to challenge the ruling – potentially through a judicial review – but is waiting for more details from UK ministers.
Nicola Sturgeon’s government believe the current process is too difficult and invasive, and causes distress to an already marginalised and vulnerable minority group.
The UK government’s Scottish secretary Alister Jack will take the legal steps on Tuesday to confirm the move, and set out the reasons for it in a statement to the House of Commons.
In a letter to Ms Sturgeon, he said the bill would have a “significant impact” on protections contained in UK equalities legislation.
He cited concerns over its effect on legal rights to run single-sex clubs, associations and schools, as well as rules on equal pay for men and women.
He added that having “two different gender recognition schemes in the UK” risked creating “significant complications,” including “allowing more fraudulent or bad faith applications”.
The announcement was greeted with fury by Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison, who called the decision to block the bill “outrageous”.
Arguing that the bill does not affect UK-wide equalities law, she said the “political” move demonstrated the UK government’s “contempt for devolution”.
“This is a dark day for trans rights and a dark day for democracy in the UK,” she added.
