For a party that claims a strong history of feminism, today’s Labour has a sorry record.
Led by a Prime Minister who struggles to define what a woman is, they have been asleep at the wheel for the past year, failing to do the most basic part of their job to protect women’s rights.
Last year’s Supreme Court ruling clarified beyond all doubt that, in law, sex means biological sex. That means men are men and women are women. Most of us have known that all along – not least Kemi Badenoch, who has been a vocal critic of radical gender ideology for years.
The sad truth is Labour – and the Greens and Lib Dems, for that matter – are completely captured by the religion of diversity, which says a transgender person’s right to not be offended trumps the rights of women to safety, dignity and privacy.
This is not just about toilets and changing rooms. It’s about hospital wards, girls’ sports, prisons, care homes, and even rape crisis centres.
For years Labour MPs have turned a blind eye to the women and girls who have suffered from having the needs of biological men placed above their own. Of course we should make provision for all, but provision does not mean open access.
We must have boundaries that protect women and girls from harm.
The Supreme Court ruling, brought about by the courageous grassroot activists For Women Scotland, was meant to put an end to this madness.
At the time Bridget Phillipson, the minister for women and equalities, said she accepted the ruling and pledged action to enforce it.
But in the 12 months since, she has done everything in her power to avoid doing anything. She has been sitting on guidance from the equalities watchdog since last September.
Who has been held accountable for the political witch-hunts started by the NHS against hardworking nurses who stated biological sex is real? No-one.
Who is making sure sexual predators are recorded accurately by sex? No-one.
Who is ensuring there are no biological men in women’s prisons or on women’s hospital wards? No-one.
At the very least, one year on, you would assume that the minister for equalities had ensured her own Government was compliant with the Supreme Court ruling.
Alas, after persistent questioning by the Conservatives, not a single government department could confirm that it was.
Cowardice, obfuscation, and a complete lack of grip. That is all the Labour Party has to offer women’s rights.
Claire Coutinho is Shadow Minister for Equalities
