Labour has scrapped plans to make it easier to legally change gender, it was reported last night.
The party had controversially pledged to change the process by replacing the panel of doctors and lawyers who approve gender recognition certificates with a registrar system.
But ministers now expect such reforms to ‘go away’ quietly, according to The Times.
The move is believed to be part of efforts to counter the polling surge of Reform UK.
Recent surveys suggest Nigel Farage’s party is set to take swathes of seats off Labour at the next election.
Insiders suggest that the election of Donald Trump –who has taken a tough line on gender issues – has also contributed to Labour softening its own position.
During the election campaign, Labour said it would make it easier to obtain a gender recognition certificate – which allows trans people to have their affirmed gender legally recognised – by letting a single doctor sign off on it instead of two.
They also intended to drop the requirement that a person must live as their preferred gender for two years before obtaining a certificate.
During the election campaign, Labour said it would make it easier to obtain a gender recognition certificate – which allows trans people to have their affirmed gender legally recognised – by letting a single doctor sign off on it instead of two
Health Secretary Wes Streeting (pictured) already appeared to have pushed back on the policy, and last year made the temporary ban on puberty blockers for youngsters ‘indefinite’ across the UK
But they were not included in the King’s Speech setting out the Government’s priorities, and are now believed to have been shelved.
Mr Farage announced his party had passed 200,000 members last night, saying: ‘The Labour Party have 309,000 members, and when we overtake them, we will be the biggest political party in this country. That’s our goal.’
A Government source told The Times: ‘If we’re going to push back against Reform this is the kind of thing we need to be doing rather than reforms to the Gender Recognition Act which would be catnip for Farage.’
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy for Sex Matters, said: ‘If this news is correct, we welcome it with great relief.
‘We’ve long argued that any change that makes it easier to obtain gender recognition certificates risks introducing self-ID through the back door.’
Health Secretary Wes Streeting already appeared to have pushed back on the policy, and last year made the temporary ban on puberty blockers for youngsters ‘indefinite’ across the UK.
His order followed a landmark report published by paediatrician Baroness Cass, who said there had been ‘significant misinformation’ and ‘insufficient evidence’ to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of puberty blockers for adolescents.
