Keir Starmer welcomes ‘clarity’ of UK supreme court’s gender ruling
Keir Starmer has welcomed what he termed the “real clarity” of last week’s supreme court ruling on gender recognition, saying it was important now to draft guidance to help organisations deal with the repercussions.In his first comments since the court’s definitive ruling that “woman” in the Equality Act refers only to a biological woman, the prime minister called it “a welcome step forward”.Starmer has in the past taken a different view on the subject.As a Labour leadership candidate he signed up to a pledge “that trans women are women”, and he later criticised the then Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who now sits as an independent, for saying only women could have a cervix.Asked by ITV West Country if he would repeat that trans women are women, Starmer replied: “I think the supreme court has answered that question.
” Pressed on his view, he said: “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 have got to draw up guidance to be really clear about what that guidance should say.“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.”Some Labour MPs have expressed concern that the ruling could have serious consequences for transgender people.But earlier on Tuesday, Bridget Phillipson, who holds the equalities brief alongside her job as education secretary, argued that the ruling was necessary.
Phillipson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Before I was an MP I managed a women’s refuge, so I know more than most how important it is that women, especially those who have experienced male violence, sexual violence and trauma, are able to access safe therapeutic spaces, and alongside that, that we make sure that everyone in our society is treated with dignity and respect.”Asked about differing opinions within Labour on the ruling, Phillipson said: “I speak for the government on this matter, and I can be crystal clear with you that we welcome the ruling.”She said the Equality and Human Rights Commission would work with ministers to create new guidance on how the ruling would work in practice.Pushed on the specifics of which toilet a transgender woman would be required to use from now on, Phillipson confirmed that if only single-sex facilities were available it would need to be the male toilet – but she said it was important that “everyone has the ability to access services that are safe and appropriate and respect their privacy and dignity”.She added: “Of course, where it comes to provisions such as changing facilities, hospital facilities and others, there needs to be appropriate and available services there for all people, including trans people.
”In terms of toilets, Phillipson said, many places provided unisex or self-contained facilities, and these could be used by transgender people.However, under changes to building regulations introduced under the last government and not changed since, new public buildings in England must prioritise single-sex toilets, providing universal toilets only “where space allows”.Phillipson said that of greater importance was the impact on spaces where people spend long periods of time, such as hospital wards, rape crisis centres and women’s refuges.“I think it is important and welcome that the supreme court have put beyond doubt that providers can make sure that is done on the basis of biological sex,” she said.“I do believe it is important that when women have experienced male violence they are able to heal, that they are able to access the therapeutic support that is required.
“What they have said consistently, and what campaigners have worked for over many decades, is to ensure that that provision does exist and can be single-sex,And the ruling has made that clear, and made it clear beyond any doubt,”
British Steel halts redundancy plans after government rescue
British Steel will not continue with a consultation on making up to 2,700 steelworkers at its Scunthorpe plant redundant, after the government took control of the firm earlier this month.The Chinese company Jingye, which promised a “new chapter” when it bought British Steel in 2020, last month proposed closing Scunthorpe’s two blast furnaces, putting the roles under threat and ending Britain’s ability to produce steel from scratch.The UK government responded by recalling parliament to approve legislation granting ministers emergency powers to take control ofthe company and continue production at the site.British Steel confirmed on Tuesday that it had officially withdrawn redundancy consultation forms, formally bringing the process to an end.The decision comes after a frantic scramble at the highest level of government to secure a shipment of raw materials to feed the plant’s two furnaces, nicknamed Queen Anne and Queen Bess
Even Trump must know that firing the chair of the Fed would be self-defeating | Nils Pratley
US stock markets, Treasury bonds and the dollar itself are sliding amid the tariff turmoil and Donald Trump needs a soft target. It was probably only a matter of time before he intensified his attacks on Jerome Powell, chair of the US Federal Reserve. It is an easy narrative to blame the dull central banker with orthodox worries about anchoring inflation expectations. Nor is Powell able to engage in tit-for-tat soundbites. Unlike Trump, he must measure the impact on markets of his every word
Ofcom closes technical loophole used by criminals to intercept mobile calls and texts
The UK communications regulator Ofcom is banning mobile operators from leasing numbers that can be used by criminals to intercept and divert calls and messages, including security codes sent by banks to customers.Ofcom said it would stop the leasing of “global titles”, special types of phone numbers used by mobile networks to support services to make sure messages and calls reach the intended recipient.The regulator said until now global titles, which are used in the background of billions of calls and messages sent worldwide, could be leased out to third parties, providing a technical loophole whereby criminals could get hold of and intercept messages.Natalie Black, the director for networks and communications at Ofcom, said: “We are taking world-leading action to tackle the threat posed by criminals gaining access to mobile networks. Leased global titles are one of the most significant and persistent sources of malicious signalling
The US government is coming for Google and Meta – but what will happen next?
Hello, and welcome to TechScape. This week, Google and Meta take legal beatings while Microsoft faces a “tipping point” over Gaza.Google suffered another defeat last week in its clash with the Department of Justice, which has now won two separate cases arguing the company’s rise to power was aided by illegal and anticompetitive practices. The legal battles have placed the tech giant at the center of the government’s most significant antitrust action in decades, and left one of the world’s most valuable companies facing an uncertain future.A US federal judge in Virginia ruled on Thursday that Google had illegally built a monopoly over the online advertising industry, marking the company’s second major loss in an antitrust case in less than a year
Jack Draper backs Sinner as return from ban nears: ‘He doesn’t deserve any hate’
Jack Draper believes it has been important to stand up for his friend Jannik Sinner and that the Italian is undeserving of any hate as he prepares to return next month from his three‑month doping ban.“When people ask about him, or anyone, I’ll tell the truth,” Draper said, in a joint interview with the Guardian and the BBC. “I think Jannik is a really, really genuine, nice person. And on top of that, he’s obviously an unbelievable player. In this situation, I’m sure that he would have absolutely zero idea of anything
The Breakdown | Just for kicks, the top 10 rugby union sharp shooters of the past 30 years
It is approaching that time of year. Big games hinging on increasingly slim margins, the pressure on goal-kickers intense. Check out Marcus Smith’s conversion attempt after Cadan Murley’s try for Harlequins against Sale on Saturday. The ball struck the right post, the crossbar, the left post and then the crossbar again in a classic “What happened next?” moment that captured perfectly the agonies of the tortured marksman’s art.But the old maxim still holds true: goal-kickers don’t lose games, they win them
IMF slashes global growth forecast to 2.8% this year due to Trump trade war – as it happened
Risks to global financial stability surging after Trump tariffs, warns IMF
M&S apologises after ‘cyber incident’ hits contactless payments and online orders
Santander looks at splitting car finance from rest of UK division
IMF warns of ‘major negative shock’ from Trump’s tariffs
‘Employment’s the best way to stop reoffending’: the boss of ready meals firm Cook on the ‘talent’ in prisons