Support for gender reforms cost me frontbench job - Tory MSP

2 July 2023

A Tory MSP has told the BBC he believes he was sacked from the Holyrood front bench for supporting Scotland's gender recognition reforms.

Jamie Greene lost his role as party justice spokesman six months after voting to back the controversial Bill - which most Tory MSPs opposed.

The West of Scotland MSP said the party had not told him why he was axed.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross gave the role to Russell Findlay when he reshuffled his shadow team last week.

In an interview with BBC Radio Scotland's The Sunday Show, Mr Greene was asked whether he was being punished for his stance on gender reform.

He said: "It's hard to take it any other way to be honest."

He added: "That's what members of the press and journalists were being told.

"So I have to assume that is the case - and I find that disappointing."

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The Scottish government's planned reforms would make it easier to legally change gender

Conservative MSPs were given a free vote on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, but most of the party voted against it.

Mr Greene, Sandesh Gulhane and Jackson Carlaw were the only Tory MSPs to support the legislation, which ended up being blocked by the UK government.

The Scottish government's proposed reforms would make it easier to legally change gender without going through a medical process.

The bill was passed by MSPs in December, but was blocked over the potential impact on UK-wide equality laws.

Underlying issue

Mr Greene said it was "quite some time ago now" and that he "thought we had moved on from all of that".

But he added: "Clearly there was some underlying issue there.

"It may have been better just to address the issue with me directly, privately."

The Scottish government will go to court in September to challenge Westminster's decision to block the reforms.

It will make its case against the decision in a three-day hearing from 19 to 21 September.