With the police investigating SNP finances and his party’s poll rating on the slide, First Minister Humza Yousaf is in desperate need of political momentum. Challenging the UK Government’s veto of the Holyrood bill on gender recognition will not aid this cause.
During the recent SNP leadership contest, during which the candidates nearly destroyed each other, Yousaf won applause for promising to stand up to the Tories on the gender bill. SNP members liked his tough talk on defending the Scottish Parliament and he put distance between himself and Kate Forbes on LGBT rights.
The ordinary voter will be a harder sell for Yousaf. A poll in December found opposition to key parts of the bill, such as scrapping the requirement of a medical diagnosis and lowering the age from 18 to 16.
