Health minister Karin Smyth has called on the Conservatives to apologise for the party’s pro-trans stance under Theresa May.
The UK Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday (16 April) that the 2010 Equality Act’s definition of a woman was based on biological sex, not gender.
The government said the ruling “brings clarity and confidence”, while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch described it as a “victory”. However, it has been condemned by human rights activists, with one lawyer claiming the UK “might not be meeting its human rights obligations”.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Thursday (17 April) morning, Smyth took aim at Tories, calling on them to apologise for letting questions around gender “run and run and run”.
The Labour MP, who held her Bristol South seat at last year’s general election, pushing the Conservatives into fourth place, went on to say: “The people [who] owe the country an apology are the Tory government who were in power for 14 years, who allowed this issue to drift.
“They were the people who started off, for example, the self-identification policies. I was in parliament when one of their leaders stood at the despatch box saying that trans women are women.”
A little more than two years ago, Theresa May, who was prime minister from 2016 until 2019, expressed disappointment that gender recognition reforms passed in Scotland were scrapped in England. She was ousted before self-identification for trans people could become a reality.
Her successor, Boris Johnson, dismissed the plans, and her proposals were scrapped. After Rishi Sunak became PM, the Scottish government’s attempts to pass a bill introducing self-ID was blocked in the UK.
“We believe everyone should have their dignity and privacy and right to be respected,” Smyth said. “We are proud of the gender recognition act we introduced, the equality act protecting people’s rights. Now is the time to make sure we look to the future and that rights are very clear for people.”
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