UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The Conservative Party seeks to mandate the recording of biological sex in official data, citing concerns over confusion between sex and gender.
As reported by The Telegraph, Tory plans to be debated in Parliament this week would compel police and medical professionals to record biological sex instead of their gender.
The party will push the government to accept the conclusions of an independent review of sex data, which highlighted that confusion between biological sex and gender identity had led to safeguarding concerns.
How will the Tory amendment to the Data Bill impact sex recording in public bodies?
On Wednesday, Tory peers will propose an amendment to the Data Bill in the House of Lords, requiring public bodies to register sex, defined as male or female according to sex assigned at birth.
The Supreme Court clarified in a recent judgment that the term “sex” in equality legislation refers to biological sex, stating it cannot be legally changed through certification.
Tory leaders will press the Government to adopt the findings of a March review by University College London’s Alice Sullivan, citing concerns over flaws in how public bodies log sex-related data.
According to the party, a vote in Parliament would push Labour to prove its independence from trans activism, though the Government is expected to reject the proposal.
What did the Sullivan review find about sex and gender data?
The Sullivan review revealed that ambiguity between sex and gender had caused rape crisis centres in Scotland to log the sex of both victims and suspects using categories such as male, female, intersex, “gender queer,” and “others.”
The review suggested that the NHS cease issuing new identification numbers when patients change gender, a policy now mandated by the Government for hospitals.
What did Mims Davies say about the Sullivan report?
Mims Davies, the shadow women and equalities secretary, said,
“We are throwing down the gauntlet to Keir Starmer to finally accept the non-partisan recommendations of the Sullivan report. It is astounding he has not done so yet.”
She added,
“This is a golden opportunity for the Labour Party to show they are no longer a party in hock to trans activism. A vote against us is a vote against scientific facts and will show they are still in the thrall of dogma.”
Supreme Court’s ruling on trans women
On 16 April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that trans women are not legally considered women under the Equality Act.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, clarified that under the Equality Act, “woman” and “sex” refer to biological sex. This decision could have far-reaching consequences for trans women’s access to female-designated services and spaces.
In a detailed 88-page judgment, Lord Hodge, along with Lords Reed and Lloyd-Jones and Ladies Rose and Simler, explained that although “biological” is not used in the Equality Act,
“the ordinary meaning of those plain and unambiguous words corresponds with the biological characteristics that make an individual a man or a woman.”
Baroness Kishwer Falkner’s stance on the Supreme Court’s ruling on single-sex spaces
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), 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.”
Tory Leader views on Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister
The Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, noted that it was now “possible” for Nigel Farage to become prime minister, following the strong performance of Reform UK.
She stated,
“My job is to make sure he does not become prime minister because he does not have answers to the problems the country is facing.”
Ms Badenoch dismissed the party’s agenda as “not offering real solutions,” suggesting that Reform’s success was driven by the current atmosphere of protest.
She added,
“What we had was Labour saying, ‘all we need to do is get rid of the Conservatives and everything will be better’. Things got worse. Now we have Reform saying, ‘all we need to do is get rid of the Conservatives and Labour and everything will be better’. I suspect things will get worse, but protest is in the air.”