Sir Keir Starmer, the frontrunner to be the next UK Prime Minister, has stated that transgender women with penises won’t be allowed to use female toilets, backing away from his previous stance on the matter.
Starmer declared that trans women do not have the right to access women-only spaces as they are biological males and should not enter areas designated for women, insisting those spaces “need to be protected.”
The Labour Party leader’s position comes amid conflicting answers from his party members on whether trans women with penises should use women’s toilets.
Presented with a question from JK Rowling about whether pre-op trans women will have the right to enter women-only spaces, Sir Keir told The Times: “No. They don’t have that right. They shouldn’t. That’s why I’ve always said biological women’s spaces need to be protected.”
On whether he would be willing to meet with the Harry Potter author, he said: “I have indicated a willingness (to meet her). Hopefully, we can get that organised.”
Rowling, who has said she would “struggle to support” Labour if it does not change its stance on trans rights, hit out: “You haven’t always said this. You refused to give a yes/no answer and walked away the last time you were asked the question on camera. To reiterate: I am not the one the Labour leadership should be meeting. Grassroots women’s and gay people’s groups have been begging for a hearing.”
