UK prime minister backtracks on 'trans women are women' claim after court rules they legally aren't

Fox News

23-04-2025

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared that his country's Supreme Court ruling that only biological women are women is a "welcome step forward."
In the historic decision, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom unanimously ruled last Wednesday that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. As a result, biological males who identify as women can be excluded from some single-sex spaces and groups under the country's Equality Act.
Starmer, who leads the left-wing Labour Party, spoke with ITV News in his first public comments about the court's decision. When asked whether he believes a trans woman is a woman, he replied, "Look, I think the Supreme Court has answered that question."
When pressed further, the prime minister praised the ruling for providing "real clarity."
"A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear. I actually welcome the judgment because I think it gives real clarity, it allows those that are going to draw up guidance to be really clear about what that guidance should say," he said.
"So I think it's important that we see the judgment for what it is. It's a welcome step forward. It's real clarity in an area where we did need clarity. I'm pleased it's come about. We need to move and make sure that we now ensure that all guidance is in the right place, according to that judgment."
After being asked for his message to the trans community who are upset by the ruling, Starmer said, "I think it is important that we have clarity about the law. That's what the Supreme Court is there for. So, obviously, that's an important and welcome step, and we go forward from there."
This is a stark departure from his past comments on the issue.
After previously dodging the question of whether a woman can have a penis, Starmer told the London-based news outlet The Times in 2023, "99.9 per cent of women … haven't got a penis."
"A woman is a female adult, and in addition to that, trans women are women, and that is not just my view — that is actually the law. It has been the law through the combined effects of the 2004 [Gender Recognition] Act and the 2010 [Equality] Act. So that's my view. It also happens to be the law in the United Kingdom," he told The Times in 2022.
"The Labour leader called for reforms of the Gender Recognition Act, under which people diagnosed with gender dysphoria who have lived in their acquired gender for at least two years can apply to be legally recognized," The Times article said.