Labour Must Stand Up for the Rights of Women and Girls in Sport, Work, and Education After Supreme Court Ruling
Shadow Women’s Minister Mins Davies says the rights of women and girls should never be questioned again
Campaigners celebrate the Supreme Court ruling (Image: Getty)
The landmark ruling by the UK Supreme Court on the legal definition of the word “woman” will have a profound and lasting impact on women and girls across the country. Like millions of others, I breathed a sigh of relief shortly after 10am when the Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
This was a victory for common sense. For far too long, we’ve been stuck in a circular debate – encouraged, I’m afraid, by Labour and the SNP – over a question that most of us thought had long been answered: what is a woman? It should never have required a court case to reaffirm this basic truth.
But in recent years common sense interpretation has given way to activist campaigning that takes the law beyond its original meaning. Too often organisations have adopted the interpretation of activists who state that the ability to self-ID trumps the rights of women to single-sex spaces, services, and associations.
That is how we have ended up with the shameful situation of female nurses being threatened with disciplinary action for not wanting to share their changing rooms with a male.
The Court was also crystal clear: no one should face discrimination. And I wholeheartedly agree. Rights are not a zero-sum game. One group’s rights should never come at the cost of another’s, and we should never have allowed women to feel as though their rights were being undermined.
As Conservatives, we pride ourselves on being pragmatic – but common sense and the protection of women and girls is central to everything we believe.
Now, with this judgment in hand, our focus must shift to what comes next.
The Supreme Court has confirmed what the Equality Act always intended: sex and gender reassignment are distinct and equally protected characteristics under the law. That clarity must now be respected by everyone – from schools and workplaces to public services and beyond.
Unfortunately, the confusion and controversy around this issue hasn’t come from the law itself, but from organisations that have misinterpreted it – often ignoring biological sex and instead granting access to services solely based on gender identity.
This has come at the expense of women and girls whose privacy and safety has been compromised, whether it be in school toilets, in women’s changing rooms, in hospital wards or on sports teams.
Thankfully, the Court’s decision now sets a clear legal direction. But Labour must act – urgently.
Mims Davies writes for the Express (Image: Mims Davies)
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As Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch started a call for evidence for examples of where confused guidance was misinterpreting the law. The results clearly showed that the law needed clarification.
Now, with the Supreme Court’s clarity, there’s no excuse. The government must now step up and make clear, accessible, accurate guidance available to all. They must ensure guidance is unambiguous and upholds dignity, privacy and safety for women and girls.
If our reasonable calls are ignored, we risk undoing decades of hard-won progress. As we approach the 100th anniversary of universal suffrage in 2028, our focus should be on celebrating and protecting the rights of women – not watching them be eroded.
At the same time, we must ensure trans people are treated with compassion and supported to live their lives in peace. Many I know simply want clarity, privacy, and the chance to get on with their lives without being caught in the crossfire of public debate.
And if Labour is listening, it’s time they also took meaningful action on another urgent issue affecting women and girls: the horrific grooming gangs scandal. With up to 50 communities across the country reported as affected, it’s long past time for a full national inquiry. Platitudes from the Labour’s Home Secretary will do nothing to deliver justice for victims – action is needed now.
What Conservatives are calling for is simple: common sense. We want to secure fairness, dignity and safety for all – whether in sport, in the workplace, in our schools, or across every community.
We’ve fought hard for equality. Cases like yesterday’s are a reminder that the fight isn’t over. But let me be clear: we Conservatives will always champion policies that put fairness and safety at the heart of government – so that the rights of women and girls are never in question again.
