All is not well in Holyrood. At the weekend Green MSP Maggie Chapman sparked outrage after she condemned the Supreme Court judgment that backed the biological definition of a woman. Appearing at a trans rights rally, Chapman fumed about the ‘bigotry, prejudice and hatred’ coming from the highest court in the land – before denouncing the ruling as ‘not in our name’. In doing so, the eco-activist, who also happens to be the Deputy Convenor of the Equalities Committee, seemed to forget that MSPs must, er, uphold the independence of the judiciary. Chapman was quickly blasted by legal experts and politicians alike – and now she’s facing calls to oust her from her parliamentary position. Dear oh dear…
Conservative MSP Tess White has tabled a motion calling for the removal of Chapman from the committee role, and is urging both SNP and Labour politicians to join forces to kick out the environmentalist. Slamming Chapman’s remarks as ‘utterly outrageous and totally inexcusable’, the Tory politician remarked:
Her position as Deputy Convener of Holyrood’s Equalities Committee is untenable. I urge my fellow MSPs on the committee to do the right thing on Tuesday and back my call to recommend that she be removed from her position. MSPs of all persuasions have a duty to respect the rule of law, no matter what they feel about a particular verdict. It was shameless that Maggie Chapman described the highest court in the land in these terms and it is little wonder that led to an unprecedented intervention from the Faculty of Advocates.
Ouch. Top legal minds have also branded the Green MSP’s comments as ‘outrageous’, while ex-SNP MP Joanna Cherry KC noted about the pro-independence politician: ‘It is wholly inappropriate for any parliamentarian to speak about the judiciary in this way and to misrepresent their judgment. This person is not fit to convene a parliamentary committee on equalities.’ Even First Minister John Swinney has hit out at Chapman, blasting her remarks as ‘wrong’. So will the eco-zealot now step down and apologise for criticising the Supreme Court? Don’t hold your breath…
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