Why has the updated EHRC guidance not been laid before parliament yet and does anyone have insight on when it will be?

[SingleSexSpacesInSchools]

I suspect as Phillipson is in the deputy leader competition. If that had been but a few days later. (updated guidance arrived the same Friday)

That guidance being in place is the thing I and so many places are waiting for. It's urgently needed.

The problem as I see it is there’s no one on the Labour front bench who is championing this. They all hoped after the SC ruling it would all go away and they would never be asked “what is a woman?” again. Maybe there wld be some court cases, but they could stay away from them. But because so many organisations are refusing to comply, the EHRC guidance has become a high profile bomb and no minister wants to be anywhere near it.

The only frontbencher who has spoken up for women’s single sex spaces is Wes Streeting and yet he’s in charge of the NHS which is one of the worst miscreants (except the Birmingham Trust mentioned on another thread). He could instruct all NHS Trusts to follow the law today - and stop the Darlington case. Why hasn’t he?

Similarly Bridget Phillipson as education secretary could instruct all schools to follow the law.

Maybe I’m too cynical and impatient….

If only it was a tricky legal minefield when the school merrily decided to let boys in girls' spaces. Their reluctance is purely ideological which will cost them.

I get there are too many organisations dragging their feet to take them all to court, but maybe we have to at least start the process of taking a few of them to court, pour encorager les autres?

saturday 25th October.

Nobody should be waiting for guidance. It's not new legislation, it is already the law.

The guidance gives practical real life examples of the impact of understanding that the words "women" and "men" refer to biological reality rather than self-perceived gender. Much like a guidance document for Maths Teachers might give some detailed worked examples of how to explain a particular maths concept to a class - no maths teacher actually needs to wait for the publication of such a book in order to teach maths. No one needs to wait for the guidance in order to apply the law. It is simple. If there are separate provisions for men and women then that must be on the basis of biology not gender. There is nothing stopping any organisation from also providing a unisex option as long as men and women still have the option of choosing the single-sex facilities and the unisex option isn't the only option (unless the venue is so small that there's only space for a couple of fully enclosed single-user rooms, in which case there is no need to label one for men and one for women). Any organisation that doesn't provide appropriate single-sex facilities may get sued if any women are thereby disadvantaged and less able to fully participate in the organisation's remit of operations.

Any organisation whose decision-makers are not capable of understanding this should be replacing those decision-makers with people who can. It's not rocket science.

So, given there is no chance of the guidance being laid before 27th October, it will not come into force, earliest, until Friday 5th December

And that's even assuming Phillipson DOES approve it

All these delays play into the hands of the GLP and the change in governance at the EHRC. This is by no means a done deal.

I'm very cynical but I don't think the EHRC guidance will make any difference to compliance, they all know the law, it's already been 5 months since it was clarified. Saying that they are waiting for the guidance is just kicking it down the road. There will always be another thing they are waiting on the results of before they act, such as other legal action. The Scottish Government are quite happy to be taken to court again, but they have elections on the horizon, so they are happy wasting time and (taxpayers) money knowing that the legal action will unlikely be done and dusted before May.

I think organisations will just wait for legal action in order to force compliance (it's not their money they are spending on legal action is it?). Unfortunately legal action isn't readily accessible to many of us as individuals, because there are potential risks, and personally I don't think that legal action should be necessary, we should expect our MPs/Civil Service/Local Councils etc. to obey the law. There is always the route of 'Misconduct in Public Office', but again, we shouldn't have to take these risks for them to obey the law.

This is not going to be over anytime soon.

#199DaysLater Demo/March: 1st November, 1pm - Edinburgh and London

Mary Ann Stephenson is the incoming EHRC chair.
She will keep up the work.

Leadership contests are a political party thing and should make no difference here. The guidance is a legislative proccess which party politics should play no part in.
Should being the key word here.

Keep on keeping on OP

As far as I remember, the EHRC does not provide individual advice. They exist as the overall authority.

On the web site it says:

For information, advice and support on discrimination and human rights issues
Contact the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS):
Phone: 0808 800 0082
You can email using the contact form on the EASS website.
The EASS website also offers BSL interpretation, web chat services and a contact us form.
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/contact-us#forinformationadviceandsupportondiscriminationandhumanrightsissues

But if you want to know why Bridget Phillipson has got round to giving Ministerial approval surely contact her?
https://members.parliament.uk/member/4046/contact

I see she is on facebook and twitter.

Maybe depending if anyone is on either or both of these platforms just keep posting messages asking her why the delay. It is after all just procedural. And that too many organisations are using this as a reason not to implement what is now the law.

EHRC certainly do individual enforcement - see Pontins and Ikea

This.

This is the result of letting organisations 'act ahead of the law' in the belief that law was something that would just follow the lead of the righteous.

There will be a fuss. It will be demanded to be debated in parliament where we will hear a lot of MPs talk passionately about the need of sad men to be provided with non consenting undressed women, to strip search them, to listen to their rape stories and intimidate them in crisis centres, and to never permit gay people to meet without the supervision and control of straight people who are more powerful than they are. (Unless they meet in secret.)

The can is going to be kicked on this indefinitely. Because we live in a time where apparently it's terribly cool and down with the kids to enable men to oppress, bully and use women, and to remove their rights, equality and access to public life. And use the police to control women who won't submit. There is no political party remotely interested in doing anything about this.

enforcement is not the same as individuals ringing up asking for advice.

There is no political party remotely interested in doing anything about this.

In my heart of hearts I think this is going to be one of those legal guidelines that will never be followed, and never be enforced.

And within a few years will be overwritten by some Parliamentary device ie ammending the EA.

@IwantToRetire I contacted the EHRC direct, twice and the EASS twice and got them to take up an investigation to see if they can look into it. Full details on my main thread.

Why has Bridget Phillipson not approved the guidance yet?

Because she is the front runner for deputy leader and there is no chance she will upset her own political career to protect women and girls NOW when she could do it on 27th October.

There is no political party remotely interested in doing anything about this.
(dunno who said it to quote!)

There is and it's Reform. They are already very much on track to win the next election and will make mince meat out of anyone who goes against them on gender issues.

We have a far higher chance of the gender recognition act being revoked than we do of a change to the EA stating men can be women.

Has Farage said much publicly on gender issues? I wasn't aware he had.

Because she is the front runner for deputy leader and there is no chance she will upset her own political career to protect women and girls NOW when she could do it on 27th October.

I know that, I was saying to contact her via her Parliamentary office and see what is said in reply ( by her PA or whatever). It would be interesting to know "officially" why it hasn't been actioned.

I did contact her via social media, no response (no surprise) I could via her office - but there will be no response. It's naked politicking, about the only honest thing they are capable of.

If The guidance had but arrived a day or two earlier.....

Their policy doc only really mentions it in the "education" section:

Ban Transgender Ideology in Primary and Secondary Schools.
There are 2 sexes and 2 genders. It is a dangerous safeguarding issue to confuse children by suggesting otherwise. No gender questioning, social transitioning or pronoun swapping. Inform parents of under 16s about their children’s life decisions. Schools must have single sex facilities.

Forgive the ChatGPT trawl but the links it gave me checked out

• 16 April 2025, reacting to the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Equality Act: “Women are women and men are men; you cannot change your biological sex.” 
• 15 April 2025, on his official Facebook page: “The Supreme Court rules that women cannot have a penis.” (live video/post title and caption) 
• 4 June 2024, on camera during the general election campaign: “I do know one thing, that a woman can’t have a penis.”
https://x.com/implausibleblog/status/1797991134494630052?utm_source=chatgpt.com

• 5 August 2025, after rows over Reform UK’s “prisons tsar”: “I have never supported men in women’s prisons,” and GB News summarised his stance as “Biological men don’t belong in women’s prisons.” 
• Schools policy, launched with the 2024 Reform UK manifesto: pledge to “ban transgender ideology in schools,” including “no gender questioning, social transitioning or pronoun swapping,” to inform parents of under-16s, and to require single-sex facilities in schools. 
• Sports: while often hosting other voices on GB News, Farage has amplified the view that males should not compete in women’s categories and has platformed FINA’s post-male-puberty exclusion. Example segments and posts include his shows on the FINA decision and a post boosting Trump’s “We will not allow men to compete in women’s sports.” 

Reform advisor for Justice Vanessa Frake said men in women's prisons should be on a case-by-case basis, Ann Widdecombe agreed and I think Farage said he trusted Vanessa. This was in August and they didn't even need to go into bat for this issue, because Mahmoud was already coming under pressure for Downview.

That did happen and lasted about 12 hours in the cold light of day before being resolutely crushed.

I don't remember the crushing!

Waiting for Reform to do anything is a fools game.
a) No election is due for several years
b) Farage takes a new party to every election now

I’ve mentioned this before but I don’t think 2029 is the year of the next election. Most likely 2027. Possibly 2026.

that’s not the point however. The highest polling party, has a clear position on this. And it does not help Labour to oppose it.