House Of Communions, Early Day Motion tabled - Draft Code of Practice on Services, public functions and associations

[SingleSexSpacesInSchools]

https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/65938

This is not a prayer motion, the only thing that could reject the draft guidance.

See here for more info https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/edms/

I do not think there is much chance of a prayer motion being voted on, given the timetables, who controls the timetable etc etc. But the chances are not zero.

All the usual suspects there

42 signatures now, very LibDem heavy but one LibDem MP has now withdrawn his signature, Andrew George.

Wonder why?

When the TRAs can't even get a majority of Green MPs to put their names to this then you know they are a busted flush. There are lots of Lib Dem signatories as there was a historically large number of Lib Dem MPs elected last year but still only 29% of all Lib Dem MPs i.e. the overwhelming majority of Lib Dems refused to sign.

So depressing that the 6 sponsors are all women

Rosie D says two of the signatories are ‘secretly GC’ 🙄

Yes 😡 they are the one's I hate the most, the self IDing 'feminists' who have reduced females to a foot note in their own cause. 🤬

What's the point of it, if it won't result in the guidance being voted down, are they just determined to go on record as objecting?

When we look back on who was to blame for this batshittery will have a handy list. 😁

At least the names of all the MPs who don’t believe women have a right to single sex spaces is out there. Fools

That's... Quite some secret-keeping!

@SingleSexSpacesInSchools This is not a prayer motion, the only thing that could reject the draft guidance.

I think an EDM can be a Prayer Motion.

"A prayer motion is a particular type of EDM that is used when MPs want to stop a negative statutory instrument."

www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/early-day-motions/

I don't think the wording is right for it to have statutory effect as a prayer motion - but it's a futile gesture. The Guidance that they want to reject merely helps businesses and service providers to understand the law. Disapproving the guidance wouldn't change the law, so any MP signing this EDM is demonstrating their total ignorance as to the mechanisms of government, which isn't a good look.

I reckon the secret GC one is Dianne Abbott. I was surprised to see her signature on there as Rosie Duffield has said before that DA gets it. Haven't the Greens done well in Hackney? That might be why she's done it, if it's her, but I thought she had more integrity than that.

If even secretly GC MPs are signing this, it shows it is performative and unlikely to have much impact (I say in hope).

I see 2 Lib Dems have withdrawn their signatures.
https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/65938#tab-withdrawn

Lets hope this is a sign that Lib Dem MPs are being contacted by their constituents who are telling them they do not support them signing.

Social media drums are starting to bang with "Please ask your MP to sign this, it's sooooooooo important"

The breakdown of signatories is now

28/402 Labour (7% of all Labour MPs)
26/72 Liberal Democrat (36% of all LibDem MPs)
2/5 Green (40% of all Green MPs)
3/7 SNP (43% of all SNP MPs)
1/1 Your Party (Zarah Sultana)
1/13 Independent (Dianne Abbot)
1/2 SDLP

Disappointingly the Labour signatories are all the usual left wing Awkward Squad like Clive Lewis, Ian Lavery, John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Rebecca Long-Bailey etc

Despite the large number of Lib Dem signatories it's worthwhile noting that 76% or the vast majority of Lib Dem MPs have refused to sign

What is the window for signing though? Presumably there will be more signatures added.

I'm not 100% TBH - https://labourheartlands.com/betrayal-by-motion-parliament-moves-to-kill-womens-rights-code/

There was only one yesterday who was mentioned in another thread. Tim Fallon must have withdrawn late afternoon/evening. Hopefully others will follow.

From the Labour Heartlands link
The parliamentary arithmetic is not favourable to EDM 240. There is no guarantee that the motion will be secured a debate or a vote within the 40-day window. The Code will in all probability come into force.

The code will in all probability come into force, I'm clinging onto that, we've already had to many organisations using 'we're waiting for the guidance' as an excuse to do nothing, we can't allow them to get a reprieve with this manoeuvre.

Stella Creasy is having a bit of a back and forth with FWS on X, and what I have taken from it is that changing the law is their ultimate goal. How depressing. I think there will be a lot of resistance to that, but it does worry me.

The guidance was laid before parliament on Thursday 21st May so by my reckoning the forty days is up on Tuesday 30th June.

I agree, they want to swap sex for gender like it is in Aus. Another thing to worry about, if we take our eyes off the ball for 5 seconds they're going score a goal. It's a good job we have organisations like Sex Matters, WRN etc now on permeant watch. 😁

21 May 2026 = day 1
22 to 31 May = excluded
counting resumes 1 June
40th day = Thursday 9 July 2026
Strictly, it does not automatically come into force on 9 July. EHRC says that if Parliament does not disapprove the Code, the UK government will then set a date for it to come into force.

A Labour government that actually appears to want to remove women and gay rights in law, and undo equality.
Stella Creasey, Nadia Whittome etc are not the Labour government & never will be. None of the Labour MPs who have signed are ever going to get a government post as they are all members of the Left Wing Awkward Squad.