Latest news with #RosieDuffield
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour Party finally accepts trans women aren't women
Labour's ruling body has finally agreed that transgender women are not legally women under the Equality Act. In a victory for women's rights campaigners, the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) has agreed that when a policy in the Labour rule book refers to a 'woman', it must be interpreted on the basis of biological sex. It means that trans women (biological men who identify as women) cannot stand as part of all-woman shortlists, be elected as women's officer, or attend a women's branch meeting. The NEC has also banned local party branches from passing motions which state they disagree with April's Supreme Court judgment that the word sex in the Equality Act means biological sex and not self-identified gender. It is the latest twist in the trans rights row which has been tearing the Labour Party apart for months. Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of ' flip-flopping ' over trans rights, and has said in the past that trans women are women, and that 99.9 per cent of women don't have a penis. The Prime Minister has also been accused of effectively driving Rosie Duffield, the gender-critical MP, out of the party by saying she had been wrong to say only women have a cervix. Last month, however, he called on public bodies to comply with the Supreme Court ruling 'as soon as possible' by changing their rules to ban transwomen from female spaces such as toilets and changing rooms. Labour's NEC had already decided to cancel this year's women's conference over concerns trans women would complain if they were barred from the event. Now, the ruling body has posted a 'frequently asked questions' section on the Labour website about the Supreme Court judgment. It said: 'As a result of the Supreme Court judgment, the NEC has agreed that where a party policy, rule or procedure refers to a 'woman' or 'women', those references must be interpreted on the basis of biological sex.' Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at women's rights charity Sex Matters, said: 'It's encouraging to see the NEC finally making it unequivocally clear to Labour members that the words 'woman' and 'man' refer to biology, not self-declared gender identity or £5 pieces of government-issued paper.' Last week, the new Trans Rights Alliance put forward a biological man to be the women's officer for Labour's LGBT+ group. The new guidance would seem to indicate that this would not be within Labour rules. The document tells members that the judgment means that provisions in the Equality Act, allowing for positive action, 'apply only to individuals who are biologically female'. It said the NEC had agreed to undertake a review of the party's positive action measures to ensure that they remain lawful, effective, and inclusive. Pending the outcome of this review, positive action measures referring to women will be interpreted on the basis of biological sex in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment. It said that local branches can only operate all-women shortlists 'lawfully only when biological women are under-represented among the party's current cohort in the relevant legislative body'. 'Eligibility requirements' In answer to the question whether trans women could stand on an all-woman shortlist, it states: 'The Supreme Court judgment has clarified that all-women shortlists must be single sex. This means that only biological women are eligible to apply for selections run on the basis of the AWS provisions in the rule book.' A question on whether a branch can have a trans woman as women's officer, it states: 'Only members who are biological women can seek nomination or be elected to those positions'. The same principle applies if a branch has a gender quota for delegates to the party conference: 'Only members who were women at birth are eligible for these rules.' The document goes on: 'We expect members to put themselves forward for these positions and roles only if they meet the eligibility requirements based on their biological sex. 'We have been clear that the changes to our procedures as a result of the Supreme Court judgment must be implemented with sensitivity and care. Members should not make assumptions about another person's eligibility or make unnecessary requests about birth sex as this could constitute discrimination or harassment.' The document states that the entitlement to participate in women's branches, and their associated activities, also only applies to members who are biological women. It also says that local branches may discuss the Supreme Court ruling, but not advocate breaking the law. 'Discussions on the decision of the Supreme Court may be competent business for CLP [constituency Labour party] or branch meetings, but motions that advocate that the party take an unlawful position with respect to the Supreme Court judgment are not competent business for a CLP or Branch,' it says.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Women's sports ‘must ban trans players or face legal action'
Women's sports have been told they will face legal action if they fail to ban trans players. Sharron Davies, the former Olympic swimmer, will say on Tuesday that British sporting groups such as tennis and weightlifting could end up in court if they do not prevent transgender women from competing. She will speak at a meeting of the new all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on women's rights, established by Rosie Duffield, the former Labour MP. The meeting comes three months after the Supreme Court ruled that the word sex in the Equality Act is defined by biological sex, not self-declared gender identity. A number of sporting bodies, such as the Football Association, changed their rules to state that trans players could not play in women's sports. But many others did not, leaving them open to the threat of legal action. The group Women's Rights UK, which acts as the secretariat to the APPG, said while 21 UK sporting bodies restrict women's sport to biological sex, 38 do not. Another 18 have no policy or are currently under review. The Lawn Tennis Association, the UK's governing body for tennis, protects elite women but not lower-level players. England Golf not only allows trans women, who are biologically male, to compete against women in the amateur game, it also allows them to use the women's changing rooms. Ms Davies, who won two gold medals in the 1978 Commonwealth Games and a silver medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, said: 'Even after the very clear Supreme Court ruling on what a woman is and the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, sports are still choosing men's feelings over women's reality and our rightful opportunities to fair sport, free from any and all males. 'It's simply wrong. It's time for women to firmly say no. And if we have to, we will resort to more litigation. 'Bringing women together at this event is ever-more-needed as women continue to be treated like second-class citizens in our own races and spaces.' Ms Duffield, who is now the independent MP for Canterbury, said: 'I set up the APPG on women's rights following the Supreme Court ruling because so many issues arose from that and it's clear that so many public bodies and institutions have been misinterpreting the Equality Act, and there are many ongoing discussions to be had. 'We need to have discussions with sporting bodies, public buildings providing bathrooms, clubs and organisations. It's important that the law is followed correctly and we will be keeping an eye on how that unfolds.' The Lawn Tennis Association said last year that trans women would not be eligible to compete in female events in higher-graded competitions. But the rules do not extend to events taking place between players from the same venue. British Weight Lifting allows trans women to compete in female categories as long as they can demonstrate that their testosterone levels are within the range of biological women. Other examples of sports which do not ban trans women are rounders, taekwondo and wrestling. Heather Binning, founder of the Women's Rights Network said: 'Tomorrow's meeting will focus on protecting and promoting women's sports and the failure by too many sporting bodies to protect single-sex sport and encourage greater participation by women and girls. 'In the absence of leadership to address the erosion of women and girls sports, the APPG will be an opportunity for parliamentarians to discuss how we can address this and promote safe and fair sporting opportunities for women and girls at both elite and grass-roots levels.'
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Whitstable and Seasalter water issues continue into second week
A water company has apologised to customers who are still affected by supply issues which began last week, but warned that some problems will continue for several its height, up to 3,000 properties around Herne Bay, Whitstable and Seasalter lost their supply, and South East Water said the heatwave was to company said it was having to force water from tankers into the system to clear pockets of air, which will mean groups of about 50 customers at a time will temporarily lose supply MP for the area has said it "beggars belief" there was no forward planning for the hot weather. Steve Andrews, head of operations control at South East Water, said the company really was "truly sorry for the disruption".He added: "I would ask all customers to use water for essential use over the next few days, just so we can get the system returned to normal."We're seeing really high demand and that's preventing the system recovering as it normally would do."Rosie Duffield, the independent MP for Canterbury, has written to the told BBC Radio Kent: "It beggars belief there's no forward planning for instances like this, when we know we're expecting more houses to be built, when we know climate change is real."Jane Bowyer from Cheesemakers of Canterbury has lost four days of production."This will result in perhaps a lack of cheese at Christmas" she said. Philip Harris from the Sportsman pub in Seasalter said he had lost about £30, said: "We lost a whole Saturday, half a Friday, a whole Wednesday, so we've missed out on probably 250 to 300 customers."We were having to phone people an hour before they were due to be here, because the water suddenly went off." Mr Andrews said: "We are investing into our network but we have seen a real increase in customer demand over the last few years."We're looking to build a new reservoir at Broadoak. We have a plan for new big trunk mains to transfer water, as there's no natural water in the Whitstable area."We've got more gangs than we've ever had undertaking repairs."
The Sun
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Leftie teachers, cops and doctors trying to swerve court trans ruling named & shamed in damning report
A DAMNING dossier names and shames leftie organisations trying to swerve the trans Supreme Court ruling. It shows radical gender ideology is still embedded in bodies from healthcare and education. 4 4 Despite the landmark judgement in April that trans women are not women. MP Rosie Duffield warned the report by Policy Exchange think tank shows ministers must crack down on any organisations failing to comply with the law. The report found the biggest teaching union NEU said trans women in schools must be allowed to use ladies' toilets. The National Police Chiefs' Council said they would not 'rush' to change biological sex strip searching rules. And doctors at the BMA union who called the ruling 'scientifically illiterate'. Ms Duffield, who quit Labour last year after clashing with Keir Starmer over women's rights, said: 'How many more will simply stay silent and allow local activists to continue to run the show? 'Government ministers must lead from the top to ensure public bodies comply with the law: ultimately, this is their responsibility. 'Radical positions on gender identity have become deeply embedded and it will be the work of years to rectify it. 'There should be no illusions that this is over: there will be many more battles to fight before women's sex-based rights are secure.' 4 4 Report author Lara Brown praised campaigners like JK Rowling for shining a light on the gender debate. But added: 'There is still much more to be done.' " Schools need to support and treat all their staff fairly, including women and trans staff, and unions can help achieve this.''
Telegraph
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Public sector struggling to define what a woman is, trans report finds
Public sector workers and trade unions are widely refusing to accept the Supreme Court's judgment on what a woman is, a think tank has warned. A new study by Policy Exchange shows that dozens of organisations across the public, private and charitable sectors have continued to question the legal meaning of 'a woman', despite the ruling. In April, the court ruled that the term 'woman' refers to a biological female in the Equality Act 2010. The decision means trans women, who were born male, should use men's toilets, changing rooms and other single-sex spaces, contradicting the previous stance of a string of public sector organisations. Policy Exchange's report, the fifth edition of its 'Biology Matters Compendium', compiles examples of organisations refusing to acknowledge the legal force of the court's judgment. These include universities, professional bodies and several trade unions, along with other public bodies. Rosie Duffield, the gender-critical MP who left the Labour Party last year, hailed the report and said it showed that 'radical positions on gender identity have become deeply embedded and it will be the work of years to rectify it'. Ms Duffield wrote in the foreword: 'There should be no illusions that this is over: there will be many more battles to fight before women's sex-based rights are secure.' Lara Brown, the author of the report, said that 'despite progress, our latest edition of the Biology Matters Compendium reveals there is still a great deal of ideological capture in the policy and practice of many public institutions'. 'The defence of sex-based rights does not end with a court ruling. It requires persistent scrutiny, open debate, and the courage to challenge ideological orthodoxy – wherever it may reside. This compendium finds that in this domain, there is still much more to be done.' The report notes that at least seven major trade unions have appeared to question the ruling in recent months. Unison, one of the UK's largest unions, and the University and Colleges Union, which represents academic and support staff in further and higher education institutions, have warned of the judgment's 'harmful implications'. The Fire Brigades' Union has said in response to the ruling that 'the law is not always on the right side of history'. The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) released a statement on social media saying that it 'recognises the distress and uncertainty that the Supreme Court's ruling about the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 has caused to trans and non-binary communities.' The union declared: 'We have a proud history of championing the rights of our trans and non-binary members and we continue to stand in solidarity with them.' A collection of unions, including Unite, the civil service union PCS, the RMT and the BFAWU, a food industry union, have staged marches against the Supreme Court's decision, with one leading figure declaring that 'the trade union movement will protect and stand with trans people, whether the law cares or not.' Policy Exchange's report also draws attention to professional bodies such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy continuing to describe gender self-identification as 'valid'. After the Supreme Court judgment, a number of public bodies announced plans to change their policies on gender recognition. Within days, the British Transport Police announced that trans women could in future only be strip-searched by male officers. The NHS was also told by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the equalities watchdog, to change guidelines that did not fit the newly clarified legal settlement. The Football Association announced that athletes would have to compete in their biological sex categories, going forward. But other bodies were more reluctant to accept the ruling. The British Medical Association, the doctors' union, branded the Supreme Court's decision 'scientifically illiterate'. Meanwhile, the National Police Chiefs' Council said it would 'not rush' to change rules on strip-searching in order to fall in with the court's decision.
