Sir Keir Starmer’s lurch to the right continued this week as he moved to distance the Labour Party from Scottish Labour’s stance on trans rights.
Speaking to Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live, the leader of the opposition said Labour would retain the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria when an application is made.
Scottish Labour wants to remove the requirement altogether, saying it continues to support the “de-medicalisation” of the process.
In December, Scottish Labour MSPs were among those who passed a bill in the Scottish Parliament which would enable transgender people to self-identify their gender.
But a month later the UK government used a Section 35 order to block the bill.
When asked about Scottish Labour’s stance, Mr Starmer said: “We don’t agree.
“We don’t think that self-identification is the right way forward.”
The Labour leader told Nicky Campbell: “We’ve set out that we want to modernise the process, get rid of some of the indignities in the process and keep it a medical process.
“We’ve always said and continue to say that there should be safe places for women, particularly in relation to violence against women and girls.
“When I was director of public prosecutions, I spent a lot of time dealing with cases of violence against women and girls and therefore feel very strongly about the safe spaces for women.”
Ahead of the Q&A Campbell had introduced Starmer as Nigel Farage, much to his bemusement.
Watch the clip below:
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