Scottish Labour Must Restore Trust: Labour Women’s Declaration Scotland Calls for a New Direction for Women’s Sex-Based Rights

Labour Women’s Declaration Scotland (LWDS) welcomes the recognition by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and deputy leader Jackie Baillie that they were wrong to support the SNP’s gender self-ID reforms in 2022. And we welcome their support for nurse Sandie Peggie in her brave action against NHS Fife. This milestone case has outraged the Scottish public and highlighted the extent to which public institutions are ‘organisationally captured’ as described by Sarwar in statements this week.

However, it would be foolish of Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie to believe that this issue has gone away. Scottish Labour must now rebuild trust with women in the party and the wider Labour movement after ignoring their concerns for so many years. It is time for a new direction for women’s rights.

Since 2019 LWDS has worked within the party and the trade union movement to safeguard women’s sex-based rights. Every concern we raised: the threat to women’s single sex spaces; the safety of women prisoners; the unnecessary medicalisation of children; the unfair treatment of women and girls in sports and the impact on lesbians, has since been confirmed as valid.

The Scottish Labour Conference this weekend is an opportunity for the leadership to show it is fully committed to women’s rights and the safeguarding of young people.

MOTION 3 Cass Review Guidance to be debated at Friday morning session at Scottish Labour Conference

The conference will debate a motion* that calls for the withdrawal of the Scottish Government’s Supporting transgender young people in schools: guidance for Scottish schools and for support to be provided to gender dysphoric children and gender questioning children in accordance with the recommendations of the Cass Review. We call on Scottish Labour’s leadership to support this motion.

The leadership of the party has moved in the right direction. Now is time for Scottish Labour to make sure that biological sex is recognised as real and relevant in every aspect of policy.

Scottish Labour has an opportunity to re-define its policies on women and girl’s sex-based rights during its consultation on the 2026 manifesto, and LWDS is willing to work with Anas Sarwar and Jackie Ballie to help them develop a policy platform which is built on the sex-based rights of women and girls, including:

• single sex spaces and provision in prisons, refuges and health and social care settings
• fairness in sports at all levels
• implementation of employment legislation in the public sector

***ENDS***

Notes to editors:

Labour Women’s Declaration Scotland is holding a breakfast event about the need for clarification of sex in law with high profile speakers including a KC, Susan Smith and Lucy Hunter Blackburn at Scottish Labour Party Conference on Saturday 22 February at 8.30am. See attached for programme.
We also have a stall in the exhibition hall at location F5 next to the cafe. Members of the press are invited to join us at both.

* Motion 3 – Cass Review Guidance

The Cass Review has been adopted by both NHS England and NHS Scotland and aims to ensure that children and young people who are questioning their gender identity or experiencing gender dysphoria receive a high standard of care, that meets their needs, is safe, holistic and effective.

The Cass Review has scrutinised available scientific evidence and concludes that the policy of immediate ‘affirmation’ of a cross sex identity of children of all ages rather than supportive ‘watchful waiting’ is not supported by the evidence as it is not possible to predict who will persist in a cross sex identity. It is not possible to be certain that a policy of ‘affirmation’ is risk free for children.

Current Scottish Government Guidance Supporting transgender young people in schools: guidance for Scottish schools relies on the necessity of unquestioning affirmation and is therefore not congruent with the Cass Review. The Guidance also encourages mixed sex sleeping arrangements on school residential trips in certain circumstances and does not make clear that only same sex adults are suitable chaperones for children of both sexes.
This CLP therefore calls for the Scottish Executive Committee to work together with MSPs towards calling;

• for the withdrawal of this Scottish Government Guidance
• for support to be provided to gender dysphoric children and gender questioning children in accordance with the recommendations of the Cass Review
• for guidance to schools always to be mindful of safeguarding and therefore respectful of single sex spaces for boys and girls based on biology.

Glasgow Cathcart CLP