Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer no longer believes transgender women are women, according to his official spokesman, following a recent UK Supreme Court ruling that defined women by biological sex under equalities law.
This marks a shift from Starmer’s previous position. In March 2022, as opposition leader, he told the Times: “a woman is a female adult, and in addition to that transwomen are women, and that is not just my view – that is actually the law.”
When asked if the Prime Minister still held this view, his spokesman stated: “No, the Supreme Court judgment has made clear that when looking at the Equality Act, a woman is a biological woman.” The spokesman added: “That is set out clearly by the court judgment.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the government of executing a U-turn, claiming Labour ministers needed the Supreme Court “to tell them what to think on the issue.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman insisted the government had consistently maintained that single-sex spaces “are protected in law.” The court ruling clarifies that individuals born male who identify as women don’t have rights to use women-only spaces or services.
The spokesman emphasized that Starmer had repeatedly stated “a woman is an adult female” before the judgment. In 2023, Starmer told The Sunday Times that for “99.9%” of women “of course they haven’t got a penis.” Later that year, he told BBC Radio 5 Live “a woman is an adult female.”
In April 2024, Starmer said former Labour MP Rosie Duffield was correct to say “only women have a cervix,” telling ITV: “Biologically, she of course is right about that.” This contrasted with his 2021 criticism of Duffield when he said she was “not right” on the same statement.
Asked whether Starmer would use a trans woman’s preferred pronouns, his spokesman declined to comment on “hypotheticals” but insisted the PM had “been clear that trans women should be treated with the same dignity and respect as anyone else.”
On Tuesday, Starmer welcomed the court’s ruling, telling ITV West Country it provided “much-needed clarity” for guidance development. When asked directly if he believes a transwoman is a woman, he responded: “A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson welcomed the ruling’s “added clarity” and confirmed the government would work to “protect single-sex spaces based on biological sex.” When asked about toilet facilities, Phillipson told BBC Radio 4 that access “should be on the basis of biological sex,” while noting many businesses have moved toward “unisex provision or separate cubicles.”
The position has created tensions within Labour. During parliamentary debate, MP Emily Thornberry noted LGBT helpline calls had “skyrocketed” recently, while Nadia Whittome highlighted concerns about trans people using facilities where they “would not feel comfortable or safe.”
Liberal Democrat Christine Jardine warned the ruling threatened “human rights and security of another vulnerable group,” while Women and Equalities committee chair Sarah Owen noted judges made their decision “without a single contribution from trans people.”
Some MPs supporting trans rights pointed to Labour’s election manifesto commitments to introduce a “trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices” and to “modernise, simplify, and reform” gender recognition law.
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