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?

I know I'm late to this but add me to the yes I bloody will pile.

On fact it's exactly what I did I'm the local ones.

I'm so sick of this shit.

And doubly sick of Labour being such horrible little weasels.

And yes I know a lot of its happened under Tory rule but at least they have seen there is a problem. Labour can't tell its arse from its elbow

Please don’t do this, the only votes that count are the ones that are filled in properly and counted. They’re already trying to silence our voices, don’t let them silence your vote as well.

We knew he wouldn't do it when Jan Turner reported he didn't have the numbers in the Conservative Party or the will to whip them in this issue.

It's all just more Tory lies.

I want people to focus here. Parliament does not sit in August.

That means to get this into law before May 2024, into primary legislation and into effect, it would need to be ready to put into Parliament, in September/October. It would be controversial and it would need to be sped through the Commons, Lords, and maybe ping pong before it came back for Royal Assent.

All of that will need a huge number of people pushing this forward against all the other parliamentary work the government will want. If the Telegraph is writing a reminder letter to Rishi Sunak, it's because he has forgotten to prepare this work, let alone commission it going ahead. That's why it's there.

Or maybe this change can be done by statutory instrument at a minutes notice in which case, it's still about possible.

And the Lib Dems are right there with Labour’s dinosaur line with their women and penises

No chance.

Exactly. At the moment Labour and the LibDems just don't seem to have the intelligence required to run a country.

So i'll take the ones that can actually string a sentence together over the blithering idiots! considering that is currently our only choices.

Or maybe this change can be done by statutory instrument at a minutes notice in which case, it's still about possible.
I'm sure that, when this was discussed a couple of months ago, there was a view that, because it was a clarification of an existing law, the Minister concerned might be able to make the amendment without new legislation in parliament. I don't know if this is correct but I've not heard a word about it since.

As I posted on the other thread, if it turns out that this was indeed possible but that the government chose instead to make it an election issue, then I will be decidedly unimpressed.

To me, it seems like a brave choice for a Minister to clarify the extent of the law. That's the job of legislation.

It can't be done via guidance, because that needs to comply with the law to be lawful itself.

If it's done via statutory instrument it can be judicially reviewed and the change struck down.

This is electioneering. If the Tory Party wanted a fire on the Labour Party on trans rights they could have one within a few months. In Parliament with everyone watching.

My money is "when parliamentary time allows".

I think this is right.

And some who want him to do it have agitated the Telegraph to try and prod him.

But the economy, asylum seekers, housing, Brexit lies are what will motivate voters.

Just to show how bonkers our political parties are am just hearing a prospective Labour candidate will not be allowed to run because he shared a platform at film festival with Ken Loach!

The Labour Party arguement seems to be that like KJK you are guilty if you are nearby someone you disapprove of. So because the official Labour Party doesn't like Ken Loach's views on ???? and he was kicked out, no Labour Party member should share a platform with him to discuss films, the North East, or ... but only accuse him of the sin the Labour Party has decided he is guilty of.

Christ on a bike.

Trouble is the Tories are the only party who have indicated they would change legislation. So if they decide not to, there's no alternative to vote for.

I ve just lived through how Tory cuts to MH services meant that a vulnerable female had zero protection in the community and even when admitted to a MH unit, was then sexually assaulted by a male patient, adding to the distress she is already going through.

All i can think off is that people who say they would vote Tory based on a "promise" that hasn't yet happened & like most Con ones, wont..... lead sheltered lives and have no experience of the damage done to female services over the last decade or so.

That's very sad to hear, Alexandra. And this is why we are fighting to ensure mixed sex wards don't happen.

Instead of asking why people might vote for the Tories, just making up stories that cast someone as morally bad for voting Tory absolves the left of any responsibility for the reason people are turning away from them. It's not an effective way to win power.

I don't think people are morally bad for voting Tory....people are entitled to vote for whoever they wish and do not have to justify their choice.

However, if you come on a public forum and say you'll vote Tory based on something the Cons "might" do (but haven't despite many promises) and also ignore their record on protecting female rights... then i think they can be challenged on that.... surely?

Same sex wards cannot happen, there isn't the building space, the money to build them & there is no staff..... one problem we have had with MH services is getting to speak to a Dr or nurse that has English as their first language, the culture toward the mentally ill in SE Asia or Africa is not the same as a European one.
We also shouldn't be taking staff from developing countries, its completely wrong... again a result of Tory policy on NHS staff.

On Labour, i sometimes give up, this Govt gives them so many open goals, yet for whatever reason, Lab don't seem to be able to convert to a positive, they seem very timid.

I also don't see Labour as being on the left at all..... in a mainland european context, they are a centre right party... any person who voted Tory for say Major or Cameron, should have no problem voting Lab.

Yes for me, yes for my daughters, yes for the detransitioners, yes for the trans widows, yes for the children being given ‘affirmative gender care’, yes for the sports women, yes for the lesbian women being erased, yes for the women in prison, yes for the women in hospitals, yes for accurate crime statistics.

Christ, why would you vote against this?

True. There may be an element of people wanting to vote Labour or Lib Dem but they know without Sunak acting they will be worse on this issue,

If it does become a GE issue voters will just need to decide how important it is.

I’d like it to happen pre GE but fine to vote on it.

If this is turned into an election issue when it could have been sorted fairly quickly I will have no real faith that the Tories can be trusted with women’s rights.

My worst outcome is Starmer no one is talking about it comes to fruition. We get to the GE they get in and we’re toast.

Fuck it let us talk about it. If society cares about sex based rights blow it up and get it in front of people.

Nor the will to see through the Cass Report and all the other issues affecting children and trans ideology in eg education.

One thing to bare in mind, if Sunak doesn't carry through on his promise pre election, then he wont post election..... manifesto's are not legally binding.

My belief is that as the Labour party is heavily weighted by female MPs, they will change their views on TWAW.

But i also hold the Tories to account on what they have done to female rights over the last 13 years.... i'm surprised so many are willing to forget all this.

I agree, yet the other parties aren't even offering this,
So as it stands at current cycle in the political world, I'm voting Tory.
If torys take this off the table completely, then yeah. We are all screwed.
If labour or lib dems get in anyway, we are all screwed.

I wont vote for any party that doesnt recognise women as ahf.

So I wont vote.

Until that time comes I'm voting Tory.

My belief is that as the Labour party is heavily weighted by female MPs, they will change their views on TWAW.

The female MPs have been vocal in their support for Rosie Duffield and their criticism of Lloyd Russell-Moyle. Oh, no, wait, they haven't.

And have you heard the words and seen the behaviour of female Labour Senedd members in Wales like Jane Hutt and Hannah Blythyn?

You're deluded, frankly, @Alexandra2001

But the LP are not going to be changing many of those things about staffing or immigration issues.

I also hold the Tories to account on what they have done to female rights over the last 13 years.... I'm surprised so many are willing to forget all this.

Me too. They destroyed women's rights. They destroyed the country. They are not rolling back, that was another lie.

@Ourladycheesusedatum the SDP and Communist Party have been consistent in their views that TWANW. No need to vote for the lying, corrupt, incompetent Tory party and give them another 4years destroying our children's education with TWAW believers like Keegan. Although I think it may be too late. Once the RHon member for Bridgend turns up to work in his best twinset and pearls, we're fucked. And it is the Tories who did it.