UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Labour MP Tim Roca slams Transphobes “swivel-eyed” in leaked audio, criticises Supreme Court and labels Parliament “toxic.”
As reported by The Telegraph, a leaked recording shows a Labour backbencher described transgender people as “not very well people” and “swivel-eyed.”
What did Labour MP Tim Roca say in the leaked audio about trans law?
Tim Roca condemned the April 16 Supreme Court ruling on trans rights, calling it “very depressing” and rejecting his party’s claim that it clarified the issue.
According to a leaked audio recording, he referred to Parliament as a “toxic cesspit” and claimed fellow MPs were guided by “fear, envy, and greed.”
He became Macclesfield’s first Labour MP in 2023, ending over a century of Conservative rule.
Mr Roca’s remarks came during a recent event at the University of Westminster, titled Queering Academia.
He stated,
“I think actually the UK has now really gone down the rabbit hole into the way the United States discusses issues of gender, race, poverty, all of that.”
Mr Roca said,
“So if we can bring the debate back into being one based on rationalism and compassion – and actually as we know, the facts – I think that’s a much better place for all of us to be.”
He stated,
“What we can’t be, is we can’t look like the alternative version of the transphobes. The best argument against them is a conversation with them, because they look swivel-eyed and honestly, they’re not very well people, I don’t think, the ones that I’ve met. So we have to make sure, as passionate as we are, that we’re talking passionately but sensibly and bringing people around.”
After securing the seat, he called himself openly gay and celebrated the victory by walking in Macclesfield’s Pride parade.
He criticised the abuse encountered during his campaign, claiming anti-trans voices made it “the most toxic element” and subjected him to harassment and attacks.
Mr Roca criticised the Supreme Court ruling, which defined womanhood based on biological sex.
He slammed Baroness Falkner, the outgoing EHRC chair, alleging that Labour MPs are pushing to appoint someone with pro-Trans views.
She faced backlash from left-wing MPs after the watchdog endorsed guidance supporting a ban on trans women using female toilets.
Mr Roca said,
“I challenged the equalities watchdog after that very depressing Supreme Court judgment. The EHRC is clearly led by somebody who is not a friend of our community. In my view, I want to make sure the next head of the EHRC is somebody who is a friend of our community.”
He added,
“And I’ve got colleagues in Parliament who are working hard on that. But challenging the EHRC interim guidance, which is appalling, was important.”
Mr Moca criticised the ruling, claiming it created fear and uncertainty rather than clarity.
In his speech, he also slammed David Rutley, the former Tory MP, describing him as a “terrible parliamentarian” and pointing to his association with the Mormon faith.
Mr Moca said he was “struck by how toxic” Parliament felt, arguing it favours those from privately educated backgrounds.
He stated,
“You’ve got the full gamut of human qualities there – the most amazing people really fighting for incredible principles and values. You’ve also got people who are motivated by fear, envy, greed, all sorts. And it’s a bonkers building, it’s like Hogwarts by the river. Buildings shape how you function very, very often, and if you’re educated in Oxbridge or a public school, Westminster feels perfect for you.”
What did Tim Roca say about lowering the voting age?
Trevor Roca appeared to distance himself from Labour’s plan to lower the voting age to 16.
He condemned Labour MPs for failing to engage with young people online, contrasting their “pretty naff” content with Nigel Farage’s rising popularity on TikTok.
Mr Moca said,
“I’m really worried [about] the number of young people who really like Reform. We need to be alive to the risk of Reform, alive to the risk of money like Elon Musk’s flooding our political system.”
He added,
“I want there to be another Labour government, but I think we need to have a system that’s ready for the challenges that Reform poses as well.”
What did James Esses say about Tim Roca’s comments on gender rights?
James Esses, a psychotherapist, campaigner and founder of Just Therapy, said,
“For an elected member of Parliament to speak with such disdain for the Supreme Court, the Chair of the EHRC, and those across society concerned about the impact of gender ideology on women’s rights and child safeguarding, is shocking.”
He added,
“However, my gut tells me that this is how your average Labour MP thinks and that should concern us all.”
What did the Supreme Court rule on trans rights and the Equality Act?
According to the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, trans women do not fall under the legal definition of “women” in the Equality Act.
In a detailed judgment, Lord Hodge, alongside Lords Reed, Lloyd-Jones, and Ladies Rose and Simler, said that while the Equality Act’s terms “man” and “woman” don’t explicitly include the word “biological,” adding,
“the ordinary meaning of those plain and unambiguous words corresponds with the biological characteristics that make an individual a man or a woman.”
What did Baroness Falkner say about the Supreme Court judgment on single-sex spaces?
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, stated,
“We are pleased that this judgment addresses several of the difficulties we highlighted in our submission to the court, including the challenges faced by those seeking to maintain single-sex spaces and the rights of same-sex attracted persons to form associations.”