Starmer accused of ‘absolute twaddle’ in single-sex spaces row
Sir Keir Starmer spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live and took part in a call-in with listeners on Friday - BBC
Sir Keir Starmer has clashed with a caller who accused him of speaking “absolute twaddle” over access to single-sex spaces.
In a phone-in on BBC Radio 5 Live, a listener called Jane also accused the Labour leader of “not listening to biological women when they say they don’t want to share a space with biological men”.
Sir Keir’s party has vowed to protect single-sex spaces but would also make it easier for people to legally change gender by reforming the Gender Recognition Act.
When he talked about his past experience and having “worked with those protecting spaces” as chief prosecutor, Jane dubbed his response “absolute twaddle”.
Sir Keir replied: “I will protect women’s spaces, that is my commitment. But just hear me out, there are some people who do not identify with the gender they are born into, they are often traumatised by that. There has been a process in place...
KEY INFORMATION
When is the general election?
Read more
“We will protect women’s spaces, I’ve been clear about for a very long time. I know you don’t want to hear what I have done but we will do it in the future as well.”
Single-sex lavatories are to become a legal requirement for all new restaurants, bars, offices and shopping centres, the Government announced last month. Building regulations will be changed this year to make it compulsory to provide separate facilities for men and women.
The law will apply to new non-residential buildings, but existing businesses could also be caught by the rules if they undergo major renovations.
It has recently become popular for restaurants, bars and other commercial spaces to provide only gender-neutral lavatories, but ministers said single-sex provision was necessary for safety, privacy and dignity.
Kemi Badenoch recently warned that Labour’s plans to make it easier to legally change one’s recognised gender would create “loopholes for predators”.
Labour would overhaul the “intrusive and outdated” process if it won the general election, replacing the need to provide proof of having lived as the new gender for two years with a cooling-off period of the same duration, The Times reported.
Struggling with who to pick?
Who should I vote for?
Read more
A Labour government would also scrap the panels of doctors and lawyers that currently approve gender recognition certificates, instead allowing a single specialist doctor to sign off applications.
Elsewhere in the interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Sir Keir insisted that “not all landlords” are evil but added: “Young people or people who want to buy their own home are paying a massive amount of their income in rent, and we have to stop that happening.
“There’s very huge deposits as well that are being taken from people.”
Sir Keir also said he would resign as leader if Labour lost the general election next week.
Play The Telegraph’s brilliant range of Puzzles - and feel brighter every day. Train your brain and boost your mood with PlusWord, the Mini Crossword, the fearsome Killer Sudoku and even the classic Cryptic Crossword.