The UK education secretary, Gillian Keegan, has suggested 16-year-olds are old enough to make decisions on their gender, urging sensitivity as the UK government prepares to block Scotland’s gender recognition bill.
Rishi Sunak has given the green light to use section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 for the first time to halt the bill after a review by UK government lawyers.
Keegan later said she was not contradicting Sunak by her remarks, saying she was speaking only from personal experience, having left school at 16 and started work.
The Scottish secretary, Alister Jack, announced the decision to block the bill after UK ministers met in Westminster on Monday to consider how to approach the legislation. It would make official recognition of a person changing gender simpler, so-called self-ID, meaning people would not need a medical certificate and could change gender from 16.
Keegan urged sensitivity about the issue, particularly concerning young people. Keegan was asked if she would be content for children in schools at 16 to say whether they wanted to change their gender.
“We have…
