Is the debate over Scotland's gender legislation going away? And will the ongoing discussion benefit the SNP? We can, without a doubt, reply 'no' to both these questions.

The issue was one of the subjects which dominated the SNP's bruising five week leadership contest which ended yesterday and which saw Humza Yousaf become the party's new leader.

Mr Yousaf today was formally elected the country's sixth First Minister, succeeding Nicola Sturgeon who held office for more than eight years. At just 37 he is the youngest person to hold the role and the first to come from an ethnic minority background.

In his first big appointment in his new role, he named Shona Robison as Deputy First Minister. As social justice secretary Ms Robison steered the gender reforms through Holyrood.

In his victory speech at Murrayfield yesterday he described himself as the "luckiest man in the world". But Mr Yousaf inherits a party deeply divided over the Holyrood reforms.

Both his rivals in the leadership race Kate Forbes and Ash Regan are opposed to the changes and Mr Yousaf faces a considerable struggle on how to heal divisions in the SNP surrounding them.

But the debate shows no sign of ebbing and every sign of intensifying. Ms Forbes quit the government today after Mr Yousaf offered to make her rural affairs secretary – a demotion from her finance brief. With 48 per cent of SNP members backing the Highland MSP in the leadership contest, many expected her to be given a key role in government in a bid to unite the party. Her return to the backbenches flared tensions in the party further.

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And already this morning, less than 24 hours since the race ended, the GRR Bill was the topic of question on the airwaves.

In a series of radio interviews allies of the new First Minister stepped up their arguments on why they thought the Scottish Government should be embarking on a legal challenge to the UK Government over its decision to block the Gender Reform Recognition Reform Bill, passed in Holyrood last December.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack then vetoed the bill, using Section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 to stop it gaining royal assent, over fears it would clash with equalities laws in Scotland and across the rest of the UK, which are reserved to Westminster.

For Mr Yousaf challenging the UK Government's decision to block the bill was a key plank of his leadership campaign and a way of gathering support among the most socially liberal SNP members.

His backing for legal action against the veto was also essential to keep the Scottish Greens committed to the Bute House Agreement...

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