Labour Women’s Declaration are quoted in The Times article of Sunday 3 August 2025, “Labour MPs resist ‘backsliding’ Supreme Court trans judgment” which includes an analysis of more than 50 pieces of correspondence between Labour MPs and their constituents on the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v Scottish Ministers, which held that the terms “man”, “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex.

Our full response is below:

The responses are both disappointing and deeply concerning.

In addition to commentary made by some MPs on social media, these responses to constituents will have the effect of destabilising the “clarity and confidence” of the ruling, as welcomed by Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson and the Prime Minister himself, leaving the public confused as to what Labour’s position actually is.

Of particular concern are the number of MPs and Peers who are openly saying that the rights of trans people are under threat. This not only calls into question the legitimacy of the Supreme Court judgment which explicitly states the ruling “does not remove protection from trans people”, it actively fuels fear within the very community they claim to support.

Labour Women’s Declaration have welcomed Keir Starmer’s recent comments on the Supreme Court ruling, and the government’s continued commitment to protect single-sex spaces, but whilst misleading and misinformed voices remain unchallenged, there is a risk that public confidence in the government’s ability to implement the ruling, will be damaged.

We note that the government has stood firm in the face of misguided criticism and confirmed the appointment of Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson as Chair of the EHRC. We now call upon the government to maintain their resolve and remind outlier Labour MPs, who seek to push their own agenda, of their duty to uphold the law.