Murdo Fraser's views on equality are deeply alarming amid Tory leadership race

The 2014 law legalising same-sex marriage was one of the most progressive moves in the history of devolution.

Gay men and women had been able to enter into civil partnerships for around a decade, but getting married was not allowed.

This was an injustice campaigners and MSPs in all parties were right to correct in what was a seminal moment for Holyrood.

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At the same time, a small number of MSPs had religious objections to equal marriage and voted against progress.

But nearly a decade has passed and any lingering opposition to marriage equality has evaporated.

Public opinion is overwhelmingly supportive and same-sex marriage has become the settled will in Scotland and many other countries around the world.

So Scottish Tory leadership candidate Murdo Fraser’s continued opposition to equality is deeply alarming.

His scepticism in 2014 was wrong-headed but holding the same view 10 years later is bizarre.

Equal marriage has enriched our country and allowed gay Scots to play a full role in society. Thousands of people have experienced the joy of marriage and raised children in loving homes.

Fraser’s comments are weird, out of touch and display a stubbornness that is unattractive.

His opinions are also unbecoming of someone who wants to lead a political party. Leaders have wider responsibilities than the average MSP, including serving as role models.

Fraser has proven himself unfit for the position he seeks.

Chilling choice

The latest energy price cap hike is horrendous news for Scots already struggling with the cost of living.

After six months of lower bills, many would have hoped the energy crisis of recent years was starting to abate.

For pensioners already contemplating the loss of winter fuel payments, the increase of £149 a year for the average bill, with winter right around the corner, is a hammer blow.

Hundreds of thousands will struggle. For the one in three Scots households already languishing in fuel poverty, many will again face the brutal choice between heating and eating.

While fatcat bosses continue to laugh all the way to the bank with multi-billion-pound profits. It’s unconscionable.

The Labour Government promised to ease the burden on households, so it must act now to prevent millions from freezing this winter.

And it must make sure its energy strategy is fit for the future so the most vulnerable are not left to suffer at the whims of the market.

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