Wes Streeting backs the Darlington nurses

[Zahariel]

https://x.com/CConcern/status/1850476023986401648

”BREAKING: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, has this week met with the Darlington nurses and said he is committed to the belief that sex is biological being reflected in the day-to-day running of the NHS under his watch. The nurses, who are being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, also handed in a CitizenGo petition signed by 48,000 people to Number 10 Downing Street calling for the government to do whatever is necessary to ensure women have access to single-sex changing rooms and toilets. The meeting followed a statement Mr Streeting made in the lead up to the General Election in June when he said on X/Twitter that he was ‘horrified’ by their case and wanted to meet. Mr Streeting gave the response after the nurses launched legal action against County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust over being forced to share a changing room with a man identifying as a woman. Darlington nurse, and President of the DNU, Bethany Hutchison, said: “We were nervous going into the meeting, but he put us at ease, gave us time and listened, which was encouraging. We now, however, need to see firm action from Wes and a clear consensus from the government and the NHS on these issues. “Sadly, we continue to be treated appallingly by the Trust. The policy they have in place is putting women at risk and is open to abuse and should be changed urgently. We have been shocked, however, to find that the ‘rights’ of a man identifying as a woman continue to be supported and promoted, while ours as women have been ignored and even pushed out. “We are not doing this just for nurses. We are doing this for women across the country, for example those who are working in the police force, but also for sisters, daughters and mothers everywhere.”

I did NOT anticipate ever sending Mr Streeting a card. Golden Bridges R Us.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14006807/Darlington-Five-women-spaces-hospitals-No-10.html

This news isn't coming from a spokesperson for Wes Streeting. It's coming from the organisation lobbying in favour of women. He can then have another meeting with TRAs and assure them that he fully supports the rights of TW to be recognised as 100% women.

He will then stand there wringing his hands at how insoluble it all is, and do nothing.

Excellent point! I've some lovely William Morris cards itching to be sent.

I have just messaged Wes Streeting to thank him.

I missed that the nurses set up their own union. Amazing!

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24628298.darlington-trans-nurses-set-new-union-amid-legal-action/

That's a good point but it's why I think posing for a photo with the nurses is so important - it's much harder to talk your way out of that.

I missed that the nurses set up their own union. Amazing!

Brilliant women

The same Christian organisation that fights for men's right to intimidate women attending abortion clinics.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-63834799

Maybe women wouldn't have to rely on orgs like Christian Concern and the Free Speech Union for legal representation in incredibly stressful court & tribunal cases if senior government ministers like Wes Streeting were doing their fucking jobs properly in the first place. (And I include Kemi Badenoch in that from the previous government, who said a lot but fell short in terms of actions IMO.)

I hope Wes Streeting finally redeems himself, I really do.

Third spaces with privacy should be advocated not just for those who were born male and wish to be considered female (or vice-versa) but also a number of other situations where privacy should be respected. Someone using a stoma bag, as an example.

Although we all share your suspicion of politicians - WS has done nothing but be the best and most powerful ally we have - for the last 12 months

It's not exaggeration to say he is the most powerful and reliable GC politician in the UK right now, possibly the world. We came within 500 votes of this all falling down - give him credit.

Thats called the right to protest. You can't have it both ways. Either people are allowed to protest - abortions, Trump visiting the UK, the reduction of women's rights Vs. trans men, the existence of the monarchy - or they are not.

I'd like to say that they are. Even if I don't agree with all of them.

@Zahariel I will write Wes Streeting a personal letter of encouragement because you are of course right that he is likely and hopefully a powerful ally.

I'm just so bloody frustrated with Labour and this era-defining threat to women.

Absolutely disgraceful that women can't rely on the normal unions to protect them from sexual harassment/ voyeurism at work.

Well it's a fucking disgrace that they had to go to a christian charity because normal unions don't support women against male sexual harassment & voyeurism at work.

Men do have the right to protest abortions, Christian Concern fight for them to be able to do it inside the buffer zones so as to enable them the opportunity to intimidate women as they enter the clinic.

Let's not get distracted by the sea lion what-abouting.

Well done Darlington nurses and thank you to Wes Streeting.

My expectation is that neither the relevant nursing unions nor their professional organisations (RCN and NMC) would support the Darlington nurses.

Although we all share your suspicion of politicians - WS has done nothing but be the best and most powerful ally we have - for the last 12 months.

Absolutely. He has already said publicly that he supports the nurses and he has now had his photo taken with them. It seems he has very firmly come down on one side of the debate, and it will look massively unconvincing and hypocritical if he now talks to the trans lobby and says he agrees with them.

Who knows, of course, whether this is down to a sincerely-held desire to support women, or whether he's just seen which way the wind is blowing, but either way works for us.

Presumably the reason the nurses were allowed to be photographed outside No 10 holding up their placards was because their placards adopt the pre-election Sir Keir Starmer-approved sleight-of-hand wording of “safe spaces”, and don’t use the you’ll-never-catch-SKS-saying-this non-approved wording of “single sex spaces”.

As we’ve discussed many times before, using “safe spaces” enables TRAs to start their “you’re accusing TWs of being a threat” line of argument to attack and women asking for the privacy and dignity of single-sex, female-only, male-free spaces.

I don't consider silently praying to be intimidation. Your views may vary.

I haven't forgiven Streeting for Labour Against Transphobia but I agree his actions both before and after the election are encouraging. If he can remove the stranglehold over the NHS with regards to gender identity trumping sex (as well as ensure that genderists are kept in check re gender confused children), happy to offer a golden bridge, as @HerGorgeousMajestyArabellaScott says.

I think he is positioning himself for the next Labour leadership election which could come within this parliament but if not, will come in 2029, against a merged Reform and Tory party who will have a very clear line on immigration and transgender issues. But then I do love some political speculation, it could be something else entirely.

Maybe you should try listening to women's experiences rather than siding with the men.

Exactly. Union capture has meant people have nowhere to turn