'Sex means biological sex': Sunak to change law to enshrine single-sex spaces if Tories win election
2 June 2024, 23:01
Rishi Sunak has pledged to change the Equality Act to prevent biological males from accessing women-only spaces if the Tories win the election.
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The party also vowed to block the Scottish and Welsh governments from interpreting the Act differently - by declaring the issue as a reserved matter for the UK Government alone.
Tory leader Rishi Sunak said: “The safety of women and girls is too important to allow the current confusion around definitions of sex and gender to persist.
“The Conservatives believe that making this change in law will enhance protections in a way that respects the privacy and dignity of everyone in society.
Read More: Sunak and Starmer confirm second debate in Nottingham after agreeing initial bout this Tuesday
“We are taking an evidence-led approach to this issue so we can continue to build a secure future for everyone across the whole country.”
Equalities Minister and Tory candidate for Saffron Walden Kemi Badenoch said: "Whether it is rapists being housed in women’s prisons, or instances of men playing in women’s sports where they have an unfair advantage, it is clear that public authorities and regulatory bodies are confused about what the law says on sex and gender and when to act – often for fear of being accused of transphobia, or not being inclusive.
"That is why we are today pledging that, if we form a government after the election, we will clarify that sex in the law means biological sex and not new, redefined meanings of the word.
"The protection of women and girls’ spaces is too important to allow the confusion to continue."
While Labour have not made any policy announcements on gender since the election was called, leader Sir Keir Starmer said he believes a woman is an ‘adult female’ as he was quizzed on gender during an interview last year.
At Labour’s national policy forum in 2023, the party announced it was ditching plans which would allow people to change their legal gender via self-identification (without a medical diagnosis).
Speaking during a phone-in interview afterwards, Sir Keir Starmer expanded on Labour's stance following the policy change.
He addressed the division caused by the Scottish government’s self-identification law earlier this year, which was blocked by Rishi Sunak’s government, as he argued it was the wrong step forward in Scotland.
“We don't agree, we don’t think that self-identification is the right way forward,” Starmer said of Scottish Labour’s decision to report the reform.
