Anas Sarwar has brought back one of the Labour MSPs who defied him over the SNP Government’s gender recognition reforms. Claire Baker has replaced fellow Fife MSP Alex Rowley as Transport spokesman after quitting the front bench in 2022.
The long-standing MSP resigned after voting against a Bill which made it easier for trans people to legally change their gender. Sarwar backed the Bill, but Baker broke the whip and walked as the party’s drugs spokesperson. She has now been brought back into the fray.
Although the gender recognition reform (GRR) Bill passed, the then Tory Government blocked the legislation by using a so-called Section 35 order. The courts upheld the UK Government challenge and the legislation is effectively dead.
In an interview with Holyrood magazine this year, Baker reflected on the GRR vote: “That was a difficult decision. I had never gone against the whip before but there were remaining concerns I had. I wasn’t surprised when the UK Government instructed the Section 35 Order [to block it] because the bill did have issues with compatibility with the Equality Act.
“It was intending to change the landscape in which you achieve a [Gender Recognition] Certificate in Scotland. The context was different. It was disappointing that the Scottish Government did not realise that.”
Baker is currently chair of the Labour group of MSPs and sits on Holyrood’s governing corporate body. Her husband Richard is an MP and chairs the Scottish Labour group at Westminster.
South Scotland MSP Carol Mochan also broke the whip on GRR but has since returned as a spokesperson on public health.
Ian Murray, Labour’s Scottish Secretary, has said he will not lift the veto of the previous administration. Sarwar and Keir Starmer took different positions on GRR, with the UK party leader sceptical of the Bill.
He previously told the Record: “I have concerns about the provision in Scotland, in particular the age reduction to 16 and in particular the rejection of our amendment in relation to the Equalities Act.”
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here