WELSH POLITICIAN LIKENS WESTMINSTER’S MONOPOLY ON DEVOLVED LGBTQ+ RIGHTS TO HAVING ‘ONE ARM TIED BEHIND OUR BACKS’
“How can we really aim to be the most LGBTQ+ friendly country with one arm tied behind our back by Westminster?”
(Sioned Williams MS Plaid Cymru, PinkNews Cardiff Pride Reception, 5th July 2023)
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6th July 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sioned Williams MS of the Welsh Nationalist party Plaid Cymru and former party leader contender, spoke at the PinkNews Cardiff Pride Reception on July 5th calling out Westminster’s monopoly on devolved LGBTQ+ rights saying: “'How can we really ultimately aim to be the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe, with one hand tied behind our backs by Westminster?”
In her speech, Williams said the commitments of Plaid Cymru to devolved powers over issues such as gender law reforms are “vital”. She argued that the only way to create an inclusive and safe criminal justice system for the LGBTQ+ community that works for Wales is to create a system within the devolved nation itself. Williams referenced Scotland’s landmark gender law reforms, that passed 86-39 in December 2022 by Holyrood, which the UK government controversially blocking the legislation from gaining royal assent using a Section 35 order. According to Williams, despite Scotland having “greater autonomy to act than Wales in this area, the cross-party political census was undemocratically and outrageously frustrated by Westminster.”
Back in January of this year, former first minister Nicola Sturgeon lambasted the move by Westminster as an “attack on democracy”, while one Green MSP in the same month likened the situation to a “constitutional crisis” and warned that Westminster’s actions could inadvertently drive more support for Scottish independence.
During the event, a number of politicians referenced Wales’ LGBTQ+ Action Plan, first published back in 2018, which contains a comprehensive series of government policies with the aim of advancing LGBTQ+ rights, including self ID for trans people, with the aim of becoming the friendliest nation in Europe to the LGBTQ+ community, according to Deputy Minister for Social Partnership, Hannah Blythyn.
While all representatives of the Welsh parties acknowledged the progressive nature of the plan during the PinkNews event, there was still some division, with Williams claiming “two thirds of our Senedd are in favour, are supportive of the LGBTQ+ action plan.”
Opening his speech, Welsh Conservative MS, Dr Altaf Hussain acknowledged that his party “has not always got it right when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues'' before highlighting the “massive strides” his party had made in advancing LGBTQ+ rights, referencing the public apology from former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2009 over Section 28. Hussain condemned the “hateful piece of legislation” saying that it should “never have been introduced by my party” and that being LGBTQ+ “is not a crime”.
Hussain’s comments come just days after Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman launched a transphobic attack on Labour leader Keir Starmer in the House of Commons, saying because of his views on trans rights he could run as “Labour’s first female prime minister”.
In response to Hussain, Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education, called out Hussain directly and his party during his speech saying, “the increasing dog whistle politics of some of your colleagues in the frontbench is a standing rebuke to your words I’m afraid.” Miles went on to say that every party has things to learn and to do but that the parties must stand together for unity and for “inclusion not exclusion”.
The reception in Cardiff, which took place at The Senedd, concluded a series of Pride events held at all four parliaments across the UK including Westminster in London, Holyrood in Edinburgh and Stormont in Belfast. The purpose of the PinkNews Pride receptions was to bring together key politicians across all political parties across the UK to address current and new policy within the LGBTQ+ space regionally and nationally.
The Cardiff event also saw speeches from PinkNews’ Head of Brand Alice Beverton-Palmer, Kate Hutchinson of Pride Cymru and Sexual Health and LGBTQ+ rights campaigner Lisa Power who hosted the evening.
-ENDS-
PRESS ENQUIRIES
For more information please contact the PinkNews Head of Brand at 07806931843 / alice@pinknews.co.uk and sarah.dean@pinknews.co.uk / press@pinknews.co.uk
NOTES FOR EDITORS
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