Sir Keir Starmer changes position on self-ID

On Thursday of this week, Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour party, said that there were lessons to learn from Scotland, despite previously promising to reform the Gender Recognition Act to allow transgender people to self-identify.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference in Stoke-on-Trent, Sir Keir said: “I think that if we reflect on what’s happened in Scotland, the lesson I take from that is that if you’re going to make reforms, you have to carry the public with you.”

“And I think that’s a very important message … that’s why it’s clear that in Scotland there should be a reset of the situation.”

Last month, Nicola Sturgeon resigned from the position as First Minister of Scotland after her Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Act was blocked by Westminster. The legislation sought to enable anyone over the age of 16 to self-identify their gender without a medical certificate.

Leading Labour members have often responded inconsistently on transgender issues, particularly when questioned ‘What is a woman?’.

For instance, in May 2022, despite refusing to confirm whether a woman can have a penis, Sir Keir acknowledged that “biology matters” and that that for “99.9 per cent of women the issue is biological”.

The party’s position has been openly questioned by the Labour MP for Canterbury, Rosie Duffield. Ms Duffield, who was shouted down by her fellow backbenchers during a debate on Ms Sturgeon’s gender legislation, likened being in Labour to her abusive relationship.

Ms Duffield stated earlier this year that, “Keir may dismiss this as a culture war issue, but for these women, it is most definitely not”.