Lucy Powell calls for MPs to be given vote on single-sex spaces guidance

Labour deputy leader hopeful Lucy Powell has called for MPs to be given a vote on any changes to guidance on single-sex spaces and criticised her party’s handling of the issue.

The Manchester Central MP, who is standing against Bridget Phillipson in the race to replace former deputy leader Angela Rayner, said Labour’s language around Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance was “not right”.

In April, the UK’s top human rights regulator suggested updating its code of practice on single-sex service provision to ban trans and non-binary people from using facilities, such as toilets or changing rooms, consistent with their gender identity.

Following a controversial consultation on the updates, the EHRC passed a completed version of the code to the government, where it could become legally enforceable.

While the final draft version is not publicly available, sources suggest it likely recommends banning trans people from using ‘single-sex’ services.

Addressing members at the Labour conference in Liverpool on Monday (30 September) evening, Powell said the language contained in the updates went too far.

The Manchester Central MP said she felt “really strongly” that MPs should engage in a “robust and transparent parliamentary conversation” in the Commons about the code’s implications.

She vowed to “support the trans community which I represent in my constituency,” adding: “I am a woman, I’m a feminist and I see absolutely no contradiction in being a woman and also supporting the trans community to feel included and to have their rights as well.

“That is something I will strongly support as deputy leader in all the ways that I can and I’m happy to work with you on that.”

Anti-trans bathroom ban ‘not workable’, campaigners say

Her comments were welcomed by Trans+ Solidarity Alliance founder Jude Guaitamacchi, who told PinkNews a potential bathroom ban is “not workable.”

They called on the government to schedule a Commons debate and vote on the guidance’s provisions, saying: “Fundamental rights shouldn’t be taken away behind closed doors.

“Lucy Powell speaks for many Labour MPs and members in saying that Parliament needs a say and that the EHRC has got this wrong. Proper scrutiny, proper democracy, and proper human rights considerations are key to fixing this mess.”

Ahead of Powell’s speech, the campaign group parked a van with a giant LED sign outside of the conference’s venue showing quotes from anonymous members of the community, as well as inclusive businesses, condemning Labour’s stance on trans rights.

One quote, from an anonymous trans woman, read: “I don’t believe there has been a day in which I haven’t cried from the worry and anxiety.”

Another, from a trans man who tried to follow the EHRC’s guidance by using the women’s restroom, recalled being harassed by a woman who screamed: “There’s a man in the women’s toilets.”

It further noted that support for Labour among LGBTQ+ voters has dropped considerably, from 42 per cent to 25 per cent in less than a year.

Guaitamacchi warned that passing a bathroom ban would cement Labour’s legacy on LGBTQ+ rights for a “generation of voters.”

“[It] would cause devastating harm,” they continued. “It’s not right, it’s not workable, and it’s not democratic.”

PinkNews has contacted Sir Keir Starmer and Bridget Philipson for comment.