Rishi Sunak says trans kids socially transitioning is ‘not a neutral act’

Rishi Sunak has said he believes that social transitioning is not a “neutral act” in anticipation of a report into the future of gender-affirming care in England.

The prime minister said he believes that “no one should be forced to use preferred pronouns” or “accept contested beliefs as fact” in a statement on Tuesday (9 April).

His claims come following the news that a full review of the NHS’ model of care for trans under-18s is expected to be published on Wednesday (10 April)

The Cass Review, headed by Dr Hilary Cass OBE, aims to analyse and modify how trans under-18s receive care from the NHS in England.

It was commissioned by NHS England in 2020 as part of a planned change in the way that gender services provide care to trans youth.

An interim report in 2022 called for the country’s only youth gender clinic to be replaced in favour of regional centres across England, which are slowly being rolled out as of April 2024.

Speaking to GB News, a spokesperson for the prime minister said that his office has “talked about the importance of children and adolescent safety and wellbeing being paramount.”

“That is part of previous work such as the NHS announcement to end the routine prescription of puberty blockers.

“It is behind our robust and clear guidance to schools,” the spokesperson continued. “It is categorical that social transitioning is not a neutral act and no one should be forced to use preferred pronouns or accept contested beliefs as fact.”

Since beginning his term as prime minister in 2022, Rishi Sunak has been recorded mocking trans people and his government has taken steps to rescind rights for trans people, especially in healthcare.

In late 2023, the government proposed to ban trans women from female hospital wards after health secretary Steve Barclay pledged to fight against so-called “wokery.”

In a speech a day following the proposal, Sunak made a controversial speech at the Conservative Party Conference in which he said that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman, that’s just common sense.”

He further claimed that the British public are being “bullied” into believing that “people can be any sex they want to be,” with no justification for his claim.

The prime minister has even outwardly said he believes trans women are not women during the Conservative leadership hustings in August 2022.

When asked by TalkTV host Julia Hartley-Brewer whether a trans woman is a woman, Sunak simply answered: “No.”