The Tories have hailed the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman in equality law as an “important” step in “protecting women's safe spaces”. Shadow paymaster general Richard Holden also denied claims that the judgement was in any way an “attack” on trans women.
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00:00It's really important that biological sex is what is recognised, is what is meant by sex in the Equality Act.
00:06The implications for that are really important and they will protect single-sex women's spaces up and down the country
00:12for some of the most vulnerable women as well, particularly in things like women's refuges and maternity units and women's prisons.
00:20And I hope we can now see the guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission coming forwards really quickly
00:25to ensure that those spaces for women are protected.
00:28Well, I don't want anybody to feel discriminated against. I've had some difficult constituency cases myself.
00:34I think it's important, though, that the Equality and Human Rights Commission really reflect the fact that women have been worried
00:40by people self-identifying over the last few years and that those safe spaces for women are protected.
00:48I think there's always things which can be found and we'll see what the ECHR rules are.
00:55I think that's going to be important, but I don't think there's any need for this to be seen as an attack on trans people.
01:02Actually, this is about protecting women and protecting women's safe spaces.
01:06What I really have been concerned by over the last few years is where we've seen spaces which are for women, particularly vulnerable women,
01:15where there's been abuses taking place, whether that's in women's prisons, whether that's in women's refuges,
01:21whether that's sometimes in women's wards in hospitals.
01:24I think this provides a clear direction for both the public sector and the private sector,
01:29and I hope that that guidance can ensure that everybody gets the protection that they deserve.
01:34I think this provides a clear direction for both the public sector and the public sector and the public sector and the public sector and the public sector.