A Labour minister has said she is ‘not interested in what men think’ about gender in an apparent swipe at Keir Starmer during a bruising interview.
Dame Diana Johnson, the MP for Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham was caught out on Sky News when asked whether the PM should apologise for being unable to say what a woman was in 2022.
Last week a landmark Supreme Court ruling made it so the definition of a woman relates to ‘biological sex’, clearing up a 15-year ‘legal ambiguity’.
The case tested legally for the first time whether someone with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) who identifies as female should be treated as a woman under the UK 2010 Equality Act.
Gender-critical activists argued that if the Supreme Court found against them, it would render the definition of ‘woman’ meaningless and would undermine women-only spaces including women’s prisons and changing rooms.
In the interview this morning Presenter Wilfred Frost asked: ‘He [the PM] is a legal expert and he couldn’t interpret the law accurately.
‘What you are saying now is we should just move forward. But can you move forward if you don’t acknowledge a mistake and don’t apologise for the damage it has done?’
Dame Diana, who is also the minister for crime, policing and fire shot back: ‘I think as a woman I’m not particularly interested in what men think or feel on issues around women’s rights.
‘What I am interested in is the law and what is really helpful from that Supreme Court judgement last week is the clarity it provides.’
Dame Diana Johnson, the MP for Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham was caught out on Sky News when asked whether the PM should apologise for being unable to say what a woman was in 2022
Presenter Wilfred Frost hit back: ‘He is the Prime Minister, whether he is a man or a woman is irrelevant. His view is critically important on all topics.’
To which Dame Diana then denied suggesting that Sir Keir’s view should be discounted because of his sex, again referring to the ‘law of the land’ and prior ‘confusion’.
The minister admitted that a statement made by him in 2022 whereby he stated ‘trans women are women, and that’s not just my view, that is actually the law’ was incorrect.
It comes as Keir Starmer dodged conceding he was wrong to say ‘trans women are women’ today during bruising clashes at PMQs.
In the first session since the Easter break, the premier was repeatedly challenged by Kemi Badenoch over his shifting views on gender.
She accused him of lacking ‘moral courage’ swiping that he ‘doesn’t have the balls’ to reveal his true opinions in public.
The Tory leader also demanded that Sir Keir apologise for women’s rights campaigner Rosie Duffield being ‘hounded out’ of the Labour Party. Ms Duffield – who now sits as an independent – watched on in the Commons as he ducked the call.
The exchanges came after the PM finally gave a direct response to the Supreme Court ruling last week, confirming that women are defined by their biological sex for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010.
It comes as the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch told the Mail that the Prime Minister should say sorry to those who lost jobs or were harassed in the row over equality law.
Her comments came after Sir Keir belatedly spoke out on the declaration by Britain’s top court that the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex, saying: ‘A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear.’
He declined to repeat his previous statement that ‘trans women are women’ but his official spokesman later confirmed he no longer believes it.
JK Rowling last night shared a post referring to Nicola Sturgeon as ‘Pontius Pilates’, a play on words over her gym selfie and accusing her of shirking responsibility as Pontius Pilate did with the crucifixion of Jesus
JK Rowling called out several Labour politicians by posting their headshots and quotes they have previously given on the trans debate
On Tuesday night, Mrs Badenoch told this newspaper: ‘The Prime Minister should apologise to the many women who have been harassed and hounded out of their jobs by groups who have misapplied the Equality Act.
‘If Keir Starmer’s government really do respect the judgment, they should take a stand against the extremists who still believe it is acceptable to intimidate women.’
Similarly JK Rowling last night unleashed a wave of attacks on ‘cowardly’ politicians who can only ‘muster the courage to tell the truth’ after the Supreme Court ruled a woman is defined by biological sex.
The Harry Potter author, who has become a figurehead for gender-critical campaigners, attacked Sir Keir Starmer for his embarrassing U-turn and mocked Nicola Sturgeon over her deafening silence.
Sturgeon, who led the charge on the Scottish National Party’s support for gender self-ID, has been accused of hiding after she dodged attending Holyrood to hear her former party’s response to the Supreme Court ruling.
Amid growing calls for Sturgeon, 54, to apologise, Rowling, 59, last night shared a post referring to the former first minister as ‘Pontius Pilates’, mocking her gym selfie on Easter Monday.
The biblical reference appears to accuse Sturgeon of shirking responsibility, much like Pontius Pilate did when he washed his hands of the decision to crucify Jesus Christ.
Sturgeon, who remains an MSP but will be standing down from Holyrood next year, is yet to publicly address the ruling amid growing calls from campaigners for her to apologise.
The former SNP leader has previously suggested critics of her gender policies used feminism as a ‘cloak of acceptability’ for misogyny, homophobia and racism.
