The UK government has moved to block a new Scottish law that aimed to make it easier for people to change their legal gender.
The Scottish Parliament passed the law last month allowing people to change their gender identity from the age of 16 without the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
Christian groups joined widespread public opposition to the proposal, especially over a perceived potential threat to the safety of women and children.
The debate over the bill was one of the longest and most heated in the history of the Scottish Parliament before being passed by 86 votes to 39.
UK ministers say the law would conflict with equality protections that apply across Great Britain.
It’s the first time a Scottish law has been blocked for impacting on a UK law.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to oppose the move.
The BBC reports tensions between Westminster and Holyrood over Scottish independence were already high and this decision is likely to trigger a constitutional clash that could be dragged through the courts.
The UK government has said it would not agree to a new independence vote and Britain’s Supreme Court ruled in November that the Scottish government cannot unilaterally hold a second independence referendum.
