Allies of Keir Starmer claim he has the backing of Labour’s grassroots over his stance on sex- and gender-based rights after a new poll of members suggested they support the party’s updated position on the issue.
The party shifted its stance in the summer, abandoning its support for self-identification – which would allow people to legally change gender without a medical diagnosis.
A majority of Labour members (62%) said they believed there are some cases in which transgender women should be excluded from single-sex services and spaces, with 22% disagreeing. Two-thirds (67%) approved of Labour’s new policy to streamline the securing of a gender recognition certificate by removing a panel of doctors and lawyers from the process, allowing a single doctor to diagnose “gender dysphoria”. The party has said that continuing to require a diagnosis “upholds legitimacy of applications and confidence in the system”.
In January this year, another poll found the public supported the continued involvement of doctors in the process to legally change gender: 58% backed the idea, while 30% opposed.
Source: Labour grassroots back Starmer’s new stance on gender, allies claim after poll