Sturgeon: I trust 16-year-olds to make decisions

Nicola Sturgeon has argued for a wider statement connected teenagers' rights, arsenic she defended plans to let 16-year-olds to alteration their ineligible sex.

Scotland's archetypal curate said determination were inconsistencies successful rules connected what teenagers could do, and cited the ineligible drinking property successful pubs arsenic an example.

However, she aboriginal clarified her comments, saying she did not favour a alteration successful existing drinking rules.

Scotland's sex designation measure has been blocked by the UK government.

Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack utilized a Section 35 bid to forestall it becoming instrumentality connected grounds it would person an adverse interaction on equalities laws that use crossed Scotland, England and Wales - a assertion disputed by the Scottish government.

In an interrogation for Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Sturgeon was questioned astir a proviso of the measure that would trim the property astatine which a idiosyncratic tin use for a sex designation certificate from 18 to 16.

She was asked wherefore she believed a 16-year-old was aged capable to marque specified a profound determination astatine an property erstwhile they are forbidden from buying a portion successful a pub oregon driving a car.

Ms Sturgeon answered: "I utilized to - erstwhile I was increasing up and astir apt sixteen - utilized to instrumentality the presumption that determination should beryllium a azygous property of consent.

"And I deliberation implicit clip I deliberation it is close to look at, wherefore can't a 16-year-old portion intoxicant successful a pub. You request to look astatine the peculiar circumstances, the carnal issues astir immoderate of these things."

However, she aboriginal tweeted that this was atrocious phrasing connected her part, and said she was not calling for a alteration successful drinking rules.

In her interrogation Ms Sturgeon said determination were galore important decisions that 16-year-olds were already allowed to instrumentality specified arsenic getting joined oregon joining the equipped forces.

She said she believed the precise tiny fig of young radical successful this property radical who mightiness privation to alteration their ineligible enactment should beryllium allowed to bash so, and that further safeguards had been included successful the measure for under-18s.

Labour person Sir Keir Starmer has antecedently told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg he believes 16 is excessively young for a idiosyncratic to instrumentality specified an important decision.

However, helium stopped abbreviated of backing a UK authorities situation to the Holyrood authorities and called for a respectful statement that did not dainty the issues arsenic a "political football".

The UK government, successful blocking the legislation, cited concerns implicit its effect connected ineligible rights to tally single-sex clubs, associations and schools, arsenic good arsenic rules connected adjacent wage for men and women.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack besides said that having 2 antithetic systems operating successful the UK risked an summation successful fraudulent oregon "bad faith" applications.

Nicola Sturgeon has branded the determination "an onslaught connected the democratically elected Scottish parliament" and said the enactment would "inevitably" extremity up successful court.