An SNP politician has demanded an apology from Scottish ministers for citing “insulting” research that called for transgender women to have the same access to changing rooms as those who have had mastectomies.

Joan McAlpine challenged the Scottish government on its assurance that plans to make it easier to change gender would not endanger women. Nicola Sturgeon has dismissed arguments that sex offenders would exploit more liberal gender recognition rules to gain access to women’s private spaces, such as lavatories and changing rooms.

In a consultation the government found no evidence that “trans women are more likely than non-trans women to sexually assault other women in women-only spaces”. It cited research by Bristol University that “reiterates this lack of evidence . . . to support