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Scotland's Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has accused London of using trans people as a "political weapon".
Photo: Lesley Martin / dpa
The Conservative British government wants to block a Scottish law that should make it easier to change gender records.
According to the PA news agency, Scotland Minister Alistair Jack announced this in London on Monday evening.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government is concerned that the Scottish Regional Government's plan breaches UK equality rules.
With the new regulation, the obligation for a medical report as a prerequisite for a change in the gender entry should be abolished.
The minimum age for such an application should be lowered from 18 to 16.
The length of time a person must have lived in their new gender role should be reduced from two years to three months.
Trans people (short for transsexual or transgender people) are people who do not feel they belong to the gender they were assigned at birth.
The Gender Recognition Reform Bill was considered the most controversial legislative project since the Scottish regional parliament was founded almost 24 years ago.
The Scottish Regional Parliament voted in favor of the law in December.
This had triggered a fierce controversy.
Critics like Harry Potter author JK Rowling fear that men could use the regulations to enter areas reserved for women, such as changing rooms or toilets, for sexual motives.
Scotland's Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon had warned London against a blockade.
The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) accused the central government of using trans people as a "political weapon".
"In my opinion there is no basis for challenging this law," said the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Edinburgh, referring to the British central government.
The conflict is likely to increase tensions between London and Edinburgh.
mgo/dpa
