John Swinney: ‘Wrong’ to accuse Supreme Court of prejudice

First Minister John Swinney has said it was “wrong” of Green MSP Maggie Chapman to accuse the Supreme Court of “bigotry, prejudice and hatred”.

Speaking at a press conference after convening a summit to counter far-right sentiment in Scotland, the first minister spoke about the need to tackle disinformation and misinformation.

When asked whether describing the Supreme Court in such terms should be considered disinformation, Swinney said: “I think it is wrong to do that because at no stage should we question the independence of the judiciary and the judicial system, because it operates in everybody’s interest, in an entirely neutral fashion, in accordance with the law.”

He also repeatedly refused to answer the question of whether trans women were women.

Chapman made the comments in response to the Supreme Court judgment that, for the purposes of the Equality Act, the definition of ‘woman’ was limited to biological sex.

Speaking at a protest – one of many held over the weekend against the ruling – Chapman said “bigotry, prejudice and hatred” is “coming from the Supreme Court and from so many other institutions in our society”.

When asked about her comments in parliament on Tuesday, the MSP doubled down on them, adding: “I’m not going to apologise.”

It led to the Faculty of Advocates saying the comments were “not compatible” with her role as deputy convener of the Scottish Parliament's Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee.

The gathering in Glasgow involved political, religious and civic leaders from across Scotland.

Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar, Scottish Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton and Alba MSP Ash Regan were among those taking part.

A statement signed after the summit committed them to making a “collective response” to the disaffection of voters and the increasing polarisation of society.

The communiqué said: “Our starting point has been a recognition of that reality and, alongside this, a recognition also that the solutions, which will be manifold and complex, require a collective response.

“We have a shared responsibility to map a way forward for Scotland, which is why we are committed to working together to ensure that our democratic structures evolve to meet our democratic ideals and are both trusted and robust.”

Swinney described the day’s discussions as “respectful, challenging, candid and open”, but added it was just the “starting point”.

Asked whether the summit would make Reform UK – who were explicitly not invited to the event – more attractive to voters looking to punish establishment parties, the first minister said he did not want to “regret” not doing more in the future.

He previously described Nigel Farage’s party as “far right”.

But he added that he did not feel those who voted for the party were also part of the far right, saying: “Those individuals feel disaffected and their making that choice, and it’s a choice I hope I can dissuade people from making.”

Reform members held a small protest outside of the venue on Wednesday morning, accusing the first minister of “denying democracy” by not inviting the party.

Glasgow councillor Thomas Kerr said his party was not far right and added: “It is an anti-democratic summit held by the first minister of Scotland, and I think it’s shameful.”

The party is on course to make a breakthrough at the Scottish Parliament election next year, with polls currently suggesting it could win upwards of ten seats.

Sarwar said the problem was one of government “failure”, adding people who were voting Reform weren’t backing the party “because they’re naturally politically aligned” to them, but as a protest vote.

The Scottish Labour leader added that today’s event must not be seen as the “Scottish establishment coming together to talk to itself about itself”.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay was the only party leader at Holyrood to turn down the invite.

Speaking after the summit, Findlay said: “John Swinney’s summit was just another SNP talking shop – a total waste of taxpayers’ money and government resources. Nothing useful was achieved. Not a single tax bill was cut, no NHS waiting lists were reduced, and no opportunities were created for aspirational Scots.

“The Holyrood bubble went on tour and, as usual, did nothing to improve the lives of workers and families across Scotland.”

The first minister said the Tories' refusal to engage was a “matter of regret”.

Cole-Hamilton also criticised Findlay’s decision. He said: “Unlike Russell Findlay, I’m in politics to get thing done. If I can do my bit to put power back in the hands of voters, end the culture of secrecy and spin, and fix our broken politics then I will.

“That disaffection with politics does not come out of nowhere… I hope that alongside the fine words about tackling disinformation and boosting democratic participation, there can now be a relentless focus on the issues that matter.”