Keir Starmer told to BACK gender change at 16 by Scottish party boss who voted for controversial SNP law in sign of more division at the heart of Labour
Keir Starmer is facing pressure from within Labour to soften his opposition to controversial Scottish gender reforms and approve changes if he wins the next election.
Anas Sarwar, the leader of the Scottish arm of the party, said the Westminster leader should ‘learn the lesson’ from the law introduced by the SNP last year.
Backed by Scottish Labour, the Gender Recognition Reform Bill would allow teens to legally change their sex from the age of 16.
The law was blocked by Rishi Sunak under devolved powers, a move backed by Sir Keir, whose party is massively divided on the issue of trans rights.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Sarwar, who was among those who voted for the GRR law, said: ‘I think there’s a way that you can build a consensus where you can protect trans communities, give them greater dignities in the process of obtaining a GRC (gender recognition certificate), while at the same time reassuring women and protecting single sex spaces based on biological sex.
‘I think there is a way forward here as long as you look to build the consensus. At this moment in time, I don’t see either of our governments trying to do that.
Anas Sarwar, the leader of the Scottish arm of the party, said the Westminster leader should ‘learn the lesson’ from the law introduced by the SNP last year.
Backed by Scottish Labour, the Gender Recognition Reform Bill would allow teens to legally change their sex from the age of 16.
‘My recommendation would be: learn the lesson from Scotland. Look to build a consensus, look to see what more you can do within the existing legislation to give greater protections and greater reassurance.
‘Find that more consensual way forward over a longer period of time rather than rushing to something that is going to just further divide people across the country.’
Last week Sir Keir sought to clarify his stance on transgender issues by stating that 99.9 per cent of women ‘of course haven’t got a penis’.
The Labour leader is under pressure to define his party’s position on gender identity following the fierce row in Scotland over legal reforms.
He has been warned by party strategists that he risks losing the next general election if he continues to face questions about how to define a woman.
He last month appeared to shift his position on gender self-identification in the wake of the SNP’s woes and hinted he could ditch a past commitment to introduce self-declaration for trans people.
Sir Keir has previously been reluctant to say whether a woman can have a penis – which has been branded ‘dystopian’ by one critical Labour MP.
He also said in 2021 that it is ‘not right’ to say only women have a cervix.
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