Rishi Sunak pledges to amend Equalities Act to consult with ‘organic intercourse’

Rishi Sunak has pledged to amend the Equalities Act in a controversial move putting him on a collision course with LGBT+ campaigners.

The Tories say if they win the General Election next month the legislation – introduced in 2010 – will be changed to make clear the protected characteristic of sex is “biological sex”.

In practice, it would make it easier for some groups or services to exclude transgender women from taking part. The sex of those with a Gender Recognition Certificate will still align with their acquired gender in law outside the Equality Act, as is the status quo.

But last year almost 140,000 people signed a petition warning the Government the change would remove legal protections for trans people. In 2023 the Government responded to the petition saying changes to the Equality Act were “not necessary”.

But the Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch asked the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) for its advice on the issue.

In their reply, they said it would bring “greater legal clarity” in a number of areas. It made clear trans women could be banned from women’s sporting events, single-sex spaces, and from being on ‘women-only’ shortlists. It also warned the changes would result in “more ambiguous or potentially disadvantageous in three areas”, including equal pay provisions and direct sex discrimination.

In a statement, Mr Sunak said: “The safety of women and girls is too important to allow the current confusion around definitions of sex and gender to persist. The Conservatives believe that making this change in law will enhance protections in a way that respects the privacy and dignity of everyone in society. We are taking an evidence -led approach to this issue so we can continue to build a secure future for everyone across the whole country”.