MSP who accused Supreme Court of 'bigotry and hatred' survives vote

A Green MSP who accused the UK Supreme Court of “bigotry, prejudice, and hatred” at a rally in Aberdeen has survived a committee vote to remove her.

Maggie Chapman, the deputy convenor of Holyrood’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, hit out at the Supreme Court over its ruling on the definition of a woman earlier this month.

The North East Scotland MSP previously said she would not apologise, stand down or reconsider her role in the face of the controversy.

Conservative MSP and committee member Tess White laid a motion to have Chapman thrown off the committee.

But Chapman survived the vote by four votes to three – backed by the SNP members.

She said she was “grateful”.

“I have never questioned the Court’s right to make the ruling that it did,” she said.

“But that does not mean that I must agree with it. I don’t, and I am very concerned about the impact it will have and is already having.

“Over recent years a toxic culture war has seen trans people and their loved ones being targeted and demonised by too many politicians and large parts of the media.

“I will always stand up and advocate for trans and non-binary people. Not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it is also my job to stand up for my constituents.”

Previously, White described Chapman’s comments as “utterly outrageous and totally inexcusable for any MSP to make”.

The motion comes just days after Scotland’s top lawyer called for a “fulsome and swift apology” from Chapman and questioned whether she could continue as deputy convenor.

“These are appalling comments to come from any elected politician,” Roddy Dunlop KC, the dean of the Faculty of Advocates, said.

“They are all the worse when they come from someone who holds the post of deputy convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee.

“It really should not require to be said, but the Supreme Court – indeed, all judges – are in post to apply the law. They do not take sides. They decide without fear or favour, consistently with the judicial oath.

“For Ms Chapman to claim that they were swayed by ‘bigotry, prejudice and hatred’ is outrageous. We are talking about the apex court of these islands, in this instance made up of a bench which included two of Scotland’s finest legal minds, as well as two women.

“No sensible person could read their dispassionate analysis and conclude that they were swayed by such matters.”

Watch
Colin Mackay quizzes Maggie Chapman on Supreme Court ruling comments

First Minister John Swinney said that Chapman’s comments were “wrong” in that she questioned the independence of the judiciary.

On Friday, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was asked about Chapman’s position as deputy convener of the committee.

He said: “Ultimately, this is a matter for the committee and for structures of the Parliament.

“But I think there is a broader point here which is people have strong views, and I am perfectly relaxed with people having strong views, people can have big disagreements, that’s part of our democracy, part of debates.

“But when we get into the place of attacking the judiciary, attacking law officers, attacking judges, undermining the rule of law and calling people bigoted or racist or sexist based on judgments made on the evidence of the law, I think that takes us down a very, very dangerous route.”