Starmer urges MPs to ‘lower the temperature’ in trans debate, as Badenoch challenges him to admit he was wrong about defining women
Kemi Badenoch also wishes people a happy St George’s Day. And she says, being married to a Catholic, she knows how much the Pope meant to people.
Does the PM accept that, when he said a trans woman was a woman, he was wrong.
Starmer says the supreme court ruling has brought clarity.
He sets out the principles he is applying. And he says it is time to “lower the temperature” on this issue.
UPDATE: Badenoch said:
Does the prime minister now accept that when he said that it was the law that trans women were women, he was wrong?
And Starmer replied:
Let me be clear, I welcome the Supreme Court ruling on this issue. It brings clarity and it will give confidence to women and, of course, to service providers.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission will now issue updated guidance, and it is important that that happens and that all service providers then act accordingly.
This government’s approach, and my approach, has been as follows: to support and implement the supreme court ruling, and we will, to continue to protect single-sex spaces based on biological sex, and we will, but also to ensure that trans people are treated with respect, and we will, and to ensure that everybody is given dignity in their everyday lives.
I do think this is the time now to lower the temperature, to move forward, and to conduct this debate with the care and compassion that it deserves. And I think that should unite the whole house.
Key events
Alison Hume (Lab) asks for an assurance the people with learning disabilities will be among the disabled people who, under the government’s welfare reforms, will not have to go through repeat benefit reassessments.
Starmer says the government is clear that “those with the most severe disabilities” won’t be subject to repeat reassessments.
Katrina Murray (Lab) asks about a constituent how spent months trying to get a cancer diagnosis.
Starmer says that the government has put more investment into the NHS in England, and given the Scottish government more money for public services.
David Davis (Con) says British governments of all parties have all tied to reduce carbon emissions. But they have driven production abroad to countries that produce more carbon. Does the PM have a policy to protect British industry from this “long-term, disastrous trend”.
Starmer says he recently announced moves to protect British car building.
Neil Shastri-Hunt (Con) asks why the govenrment is treating China as a business partner, not “as the hostile state that it truly is”.
Starmer says his government’s approach to China is “not materially different” from the last government’s.
Starmer refuses to promise MPs will see new OBR analysis of welfare cuts before they vote on them
Andy McDonald (Lab) says too many of his constituents live on low incomes, or in poverty. He asks for an assurance that MPs will get to see a fresh OBR analysis, covering the impact of the pro-employment measures, before they have to vote on the welfare cuts. And he asks for an assurance that the measures will not lead to an increase in poverty.
Starmer says the system needs to be reformed, and the government will help people into work.
Robin Swann (UUP) asks Starmer to explain his understanding of the principle of consent in Northern Ireland. And he asks if Starmer is a unionist.
Starmer says he stands behind the principles in the Good Friday agreement.
Starmer declines to commit to giving MPs vote on any potential trade deal with US
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, asks about the hospital building programme.
Starmer says the plans left by the last government were not realistic. He says the Lib Dems need to get more realistic about how hospital rebuilding programmes are funded.
Davey says, unlike Labour, the Lib Dems had a funded plan for hospitals at the last election.
He turns to farming, and asks Starmer to guarantee that MPs will get a vote on any future trade deal with the US.
Starmer says, if there is a deal, there will be a “process” by which it becomes law.
He is referring to the procedure by which treaties are ratified – which does not always lead to MPs getting a vote.
Starmer says Tories think Badenoch will be replaced as leader, and says Farage will eat them ‘for breakfast’
Badenoch says this is about political courage, about doing the right thing, even when it is difficult. And Starmer “doesn’t have the balls”.
Starmer says that probably sounded better when Badenoch practised that. He says it does not matter what Badenoch thinks, because none of the Tories think she will lead them into the next election. Robert Jenrick is away plotting. And Nigel Farage will do what he always does, and “eat the Tories for breakfast”, he says.
UPDATE: Badenoch said:
He’s clearly so uncomfortable talking about this subject. This is a choice between a Conservative party that stood up for common sense and a Labour Party that bent the knee to every passing fad.
This is a question about moral courage, about doing the right thing even when it is difficult, and the truth is he doesn’t have the balls. The prime minister only tells people what they want to hear, he is a weather vane who twists in the wind.
He cheered an ideology that denied safe spaces to women and girls because he thought it was cool to do so. He hounded a brave female MP out of his party for telling the truth he accepts now. And now he is hiding behind the supreme court judgment and isn’t that because he doesn’t know what he actually believes?
And Starmer replied:
I can only assume that sounded better when she did it in the mirror earlier on. The truth is it doesn’t really matter what the Leader of the Opposition says because nobody believes, none of them thinks she’s going to lead them into the next election anyway.
It’s going to be the shadow justice secretary [Robert Jenrick] – he’s away of plotting. That’s why he’s not here today – and the member for Clacton [Nigel Farage] fighting over the bones of the Tory party. And they think Reform will give them their votes withoutchanging their policy? Absolutely no way. The member for Clacton is going to do what he always does, eat the Tory party for breakfast.
Badenoch accuses Starmer of playing political football with this issue.
Starmer returns to the Jenrick story, and says the country knows what will happen when the Tories work with Reform UK.
Badenoch says Labour MPs are plotting on a WhatsApp group to overturn the supreme court judgment.
Starmer says the WhatsApp group that Badenoch should be worried about is the one being run by Robert Jenrick, who is not here, he says.
UPDATE: Badenoch said:
When his Labour leader in Scotland was whipping his MSPs to get male rapists into women’s prisons, I stopped that gender recognition Bill.
I helped commission the Cass Review, I replaced the guidance on single-sex toilets, I made sure that the puberty blockers issue was resolved while he was sitting there cheering on the ideology that was taking away safe spaces. And when the prime minister stayed silent last week waiting presumably for what Morgan McSweeney thinks, on his WhatsApp groups, some of his closest ministers were plotting to overturn the supreme court’s decision.
Labour MP after Labour MP stood up yesterday and challenged the ruling. How can we take his government seriously on this?
And Starmer replied:
Well I think the WhatsApp groups she should be worried about is the one of her shadow justice secretary (Robert Jenrick). The mask has slipped just one week before the election because the shadow justice secretary is not here, a man who’s doing everything he can to replace her.
The man that most of them want as leader of their party has admitted that Reform and the Tories are working together. He said, ‘I want this fight to be united’.
He said he’s determined to bring this coalition, he calls it, together one way or another. Well, I think we know what that means.
