Worried you'll lose your ballots, John?

FM U-turn ‘to avoid red face' after trans ruling

- JENNIFER HYLAND

WOMEN'S rights campaigners have accused John Swinney of abandoning misogyny legislation to avoid another embarrassing transgender scandal before next year's election.

Leading lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy KC led an independent expert group that called for new criminal offences directly targeting prejudice and contempt for women - but in April it was shelved by the Scottish Government.

Last year, we revealed trans women could be covered by the proposed misogyny law rather than just biological women after Kennedy wrote:"It is our preferred view no offence should be created that requires a woman to prove she is a woman.

"Trans women face misogyny as well as prejudice about their change of gender."