Labour’s Bridget Phillipson sits on fence when asked which toilets trans women should use

Bridget Phillipson has refused to answer a question about which toilets trans women should use. 

Phillipson, who is likely to be education secretary if Labour wins the general election, was grilled on LBC on Thursday (27 June) about her stance on women’s toilets, after she suggested earlier in the week that trans women should be able to use them.

Seemingly in a bid to avoid the contentious issue, she said: “I believe that single-sex spaces are important… my background before I became a politician was managing a women’s refuge. So, I understand how important it is that women have access to single-sex spaces, have that safety, that dignity, that opportunity to speak openly about traumatic events in their lives.”

She was pushed further on her stance but emphasised the need for “common sense solutions and “being practical”, GB News reported. 

“I wouldn’t want that person to feel at risk. Equally, I wouldn’t want biological women to feel intimidated,” she added. 

Asked previously in a BBC interview about the Conservatives’ relationship, health and sex education guidance for schools, Phillipson suggested Labour would review it, saying she didn’t not want it to be a “political football” or “culture-wars” issue. 

“There are trans people within society and their existence should be recognised,” she insisted.

Labour has been seen to for flip-flop on the issue of trans rights recently. Originally, the party vowed to simplify the “degrading and tortuous gender transition process”, but then indicated that schools would be banned from teaching children about trans identities.

Labour leader Keir Starmer has seemingly sided with Tory viewpoints as well as backtracking on the party’s commitment to self-ID.

Starmer has also said he would welcome a meeting with gender-critical author JK Rowling, to discuss trans issues. 

You can read all of our General Election 2024 coverage here.