Fears Rishi Sunak will renege on promise to clarify definition of biological sex

[IwantToRetire]

Rishi Sunak is facing calls to make a public “cast iron guarantee” to follow through on a pledge to rewrite equality law to protect women, amid Tory MPs’ fears that he will renege on his promise.

Conservative backbenchers are planning to challenge Maria Caulfield, the minister for women, to give an undertaking in the Commons that Mr Sunak will deliver on his promised legal changes to ensure that “mothers and women are not erased from public life”.

Sources close to the Prime Minister insist he remains committed to the pledge, with one saying that the Government is carefully considering advice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the matter and another saying, “It’s certainly not being delayed or dropped”.

But senior Tories fear that the party will lose its opportunity to change the law if Mr Sunak fails to act swiftly ahead of an election next year.

One backbencher said: “There is a debate within government about whether this is a hill to die on and it’s unclear how much of a row the Government wants, doing this in the run-up to an election. But if they can’t say what a woman is by the time we go into an election we’re in trouble.”

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A Telegraph article reprinted by Yahoo Fears Rishi Sunak will renege on promise to clarify definition of biological sex (yahoo.com)

I wonder at the motive of the DT for pursuing this (not complaining just wondering)

Also confused:
Maria Caulfied is not the Minister for Women see https://www.gov.uk/government/people/maria-caulfield
Kemi Badenoch is the Minister for Women https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-women-and-equalities--3

Wonder why the article refers to MC as being the one who should ask Sunak in the House of Commons to clarify. Is there some signifigance in this that I dont understand?

On Maria Caulfield's profile it says "Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Women)". This is a post under the Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch.

I think he will do it simply because he needs to do something to put clear light of day between his party and Labour on an issue that is dividing people otherwise he will lose the next election.

This is a vote winner.

It is a vote winner.

archive.is/2023.06.04-234631/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/less-than-third-of-britons-want-transwomen-allowed-in-female-only-spaces-zcgvfn9f6

(This makes me think of Kathleen Stock's "Have you polled them?" Ed Balls didn't, but Sex Matters did.)

when did he promise?

I can't find any account that isn't behind a paywall, but I'm pretty sure it was in a speech on 4th April this year.

Anyone have links?

For me it’s a vote winner of he does it properly.

I wish the Tories would hurry up and get the ball rolling on this.

Christ, you guys would really vote Tory, just because of this?

Yes.

Drive by scolding?

Yes, we will vote Tory because of this. Hth

‘Just’?

It’s a very big deal. I won’t be voting Labour. But I can’t bring myself to vote Tory. I’m homeless, politically, and I’m mad about it.

Absolutely.

I have a daughter, this issue is a priority to me. Her safety is paramount, so I will vote for the party most likely to protect her from men in toilets/changing rooms/women's spaces.

Why wouldn't women vote for something that protects them as a sex class?

I’m surprised there wasn’t a thread on here at the time if he made a promise to do this.

With a heavy heart, yes.

If Labour would like my vote instead, they can have it by doing the same thing.

It's very simple but the Left seems yet to grasp that it's their job to win women's votes; not ours to be kind and hand them (along with our basic rights) over meekly.

Yes and there is no “just” about it.

This thread is all I can find from July last year.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4600768-sunak-would-amend-the-equality-act

There is already a thread, linking to join them up www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4819762-fears-rishi-sunak-will-renege-on-promise-to-clarify-definition-of-biological-sex

DO IT, Rishi, FGS

Yes, I'd vote Conservative. I'm 73 and women's rights are important to me.

It was discussed on gb news, headliners from the telegraph newspaper. Rishi to clarify woman means biological woman. I remember because the presenters were saying that having to use the word biological to get back to actual logic was ridiculous and made us sound like a washing powder 🙂.

I don't remember any promise but what I do remember is people with more expertise than me saying that, because this is a clarification of an existing law, the government could quite legitimately make the change straight away, that there was no need to wait until the election. This was maybe 2 or 3 months ago.

Ha at drive by scolding by Labour / Lib Dem supporter

I think this is the Telegraph giving Sunak a poke. I was recently given access to the Telegraph online and it's been interesting to see how the leader writers attempt to shape Tory policy. The Telegraph has almost daily articles on trans issues: they know it's a vote-winner for the Tories and that Sunak needs to reform the EA2010 and tackle the legal fictions of the GRA.

Now that Baroness Falkner has seen off the civil service TRAs perhaps things can proceed more quickly.