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“A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear,” said Keir Starmer during Parliament’s first session after the Easter break. His remarks followed a unanimous Supreme Court ruling confirming that, under equality law, the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
This stance contrasts sharply with Starmer’s position in 2022, when he stated, "trans women are women." However, as The Times notes, with the legal situation now clarified, Starmer has publicly aligned himself—and his party—with the view that biological sex is the defining factor, a position Labour had been gradually shifting toward in the lead-up to the last election.
How did commentators respond?
Hannah Barnes in The New Statesman called it a “humiliating” attempt to revise the past. She pointed out that Starmer previously criticized Labour MP Rosie Duffield for saying "only women have a cervix," a comment he once deemed inappropriate.
Tom Slater in The Telegraph welcomed the shift, saying it was necessary to recognize biological sex in order to uphold sex-based rights. Still, he accused Starmer of being a politician lacking firm beliefs—one who embraces ideas for convenience, only to abandon them when they become politically inconvenient.
Henry Zeffman of the BBC noted that many Labour MPs are likely unsettled by this change, holding the view that trans women are women and should be able to use facilities that match their gender identity. He warned that this could be the beginning of a party backlash.
This appears to be materializing already. The Mail on Sunday reported leaked WhatsApp messages allegedly from Home Office Minister Dame Angela Eagle, who downplayed the court ruling but warned that some public institutions may be overreacting to new guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
While government insiders told Sky News these messages don't indicate a coordinated rebellion, they still raise difficult questions for Labour.
What happens next?
Labour’s general election manifesto includes pledges to implement a “trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices” and to “modernise and reform” gender recognition laws. According to Zeffman, these policies remain in place—but any signs of Labour backtracking could reignite tensions within the party.
