Kemi Badenoch launches attack on Nicola Sturgeon over trans rapist placed in women's prison

Kemi Badenoch claimked "the SNP put a sex offender in a women’s prison" during her speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

A Tory leadership contender has taken a dig at Nicola Sturgeon over a trans rapist being held in a women's prison. Kemi Badenoch claimed "the SNP put a sex offender in a women’s prison" during her speech at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham.

She also gloated that "Nicola Sturgeon has gone". Isla Bryson was initially sent to a women's prison after being convicted of two counts of rape under the name Adam Graham, before they were diverted to a male prison following a public outcry.

The decision was taken by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) but Sturgeon was blamed for the row by opposition parties, as well as being criticised for using female pronouns to describe Bryson.

It came soon after Tory Scottish Secretary Alister Jack blocked the SNP Government's gender recognition reform bill, which would have made it easier for people to switch genders.

Badenoch, who recently had a spat with actor David Tennant over trans women using women's toilets, criticised former first minister Sturgeon on Wednesday afternoon.

She said: "For too long, government stayed silent as women were sacked for saying that a man cannot be a woman. I fought for them while Labour called them bigots.

"It wasn’t until the SNP put a sex offender in a women’s prison that they understood the fight I was leading. We won that battle. Nicola Sturgeon has gone. And Labour now accept our argument."

Scottish politics

• Shipbuilder goes into administration
• Games 'likely' to return to Glasgow
• Scottish Labour 'losing members'
• SNP told to 'take responsibility'

To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.