Ash Regan says dogs have more protection than women and girls after MSPs voted down her proposals to overhaul prostitution law in the Scottish Parliament.1
Brian Nugent, Sovereignty candidate for Shetland, said:
“Voters really ought to pay attention to what goes on at the Scottish Parliament; they would not be impressed. Despite polling showing 67% support for making it a criminal offence to buy sex, with 90% support for stronger laws against buying sex,2 the Parliament voted the Unbuyable Bill down.”
The aim of the bill, based on the Nordic model, was to criminalise the purchase of sex, repeal the offence of solicitation, and provide support for those in prostitution to exit it safely.
Regan introduced the Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill, now known as the Unbuyable Bill, in May 2025.
On February 3, 2026, the Scottish Parliament rejected the bill at Stage 1 by 64 votes to 54. The Scottish Government expressed concerns about the bill’s drafting and limited time for amendments before this year’s elections. Other bills have proceeded despite the limited time for amendments!
Scottish Labour, the Scottish Conservatives, and six SNP backbenchers supported Ms Regan’s bill. However, the majority of SNP MSPs, the Scottish Greens, Scottish Lib Dems, and one Conservative MSP voted the bill down. Eleven MSPs did not vote.
There are indications that the SNP might revisit this issue in future legislative sessions, which prompted Ash Regan to ask what the SNP have been doing for 19 years.3 She continued, “Shame on you! Inaction was your decision.”
Kevin McKenna, columnist for The Herald, wrote that, “The SNP…..have just enabled men to sexually exploit women and girls. Anything John Swinney says about Mandelson and the crimes is worthless.”4
Ash Regan was elected in 2016 as an SNP MSP for Edinburgh Eastern. She served as a minister in the Scottish Government from 2018 until 2022, when she became the first SNP minister to resign to vote against the Gender Recognition Reform Bill. She defected to Alba in 2023 before becoming an independent in 2025.
Brian Nugent added:
“While SNP spokespersons exploit the Epstein scandal, their government has chosen to side with abusers against victims in Scotland, along with the Scottish Greens and the Lib Dems. If there is a moral compass in the Scottish Parliament, it is being underused. Ash Regan suspects that the opposition to the bill is, at least partly, driven by personal and political animosity. The SNP have been playing games rather than playing politics properly.”
References
- https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/women-treated-worse-than-dogs-claims-ash-regan-after-msps-vote-down-prostitution-bill-5502185
- https://x.com/AshReganMSP/status/2018339854363296210
- https://x.com/AshReganMSP/status/2019128547525193728
- https://x.com/kmckenna63/status/2019184494582944045