Supreme Court: Labour national executive committee members join backlash against trans ruling

A new member of Labour’s national executive committee has expressed solidarity with the trans community following a ruling in the Supreme Court on the definition of a woman.

Judges ruled unanimously that references to women in the Equality Act refer to biological women, with sex defined as biological sex by the court.

Cat Arnold, a member of Labour’s national executive committee, expressed her “love and solidarity” with trans people following the ruling on Wednesday.

Arnold, elected to the NEC as part of a new Labour Women slate last year, told LabourList: “Trans women are women and trans rights are human rights. I am fully supportive of the trans community. I send complete love and solidarity to our trans community.”

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It comes after another member of the party’s governing body, youth rep Elsie Greenwood, also spoke out against the ruling, in contrast with the government’s position.

Fresh tensions have resurfaced within the party on the issue of trans rights and single-sex spaces following the ruling.

Labour grandee and chair of the Fawcett Society Harriet Harman said that the Supreme Court ruling “correctly interprets” current legislation, with the gender critical group Labour Women’s Declaration calling on the government to now review existing policies and bring them in line with “common sense”.

However, LGBT+ Labour said they were “deeply disappointed” by the judgement and said the ruling “risks undermining trans people’s access to vital services, workplaces and spaces”.

LGBT+ Labour’s comments mark a notable intervention by Labour’s official affiliated group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans members and rights, which has sometimes attracted flak for being slow or declining to challenge the party on high-profile controversial developments in recent years.

The group’s recent challenges balancing competing strongly held views across the party was thrown into stark relief recently by the launch of two diametrically opposed unofficial splinter groups – the gender-critical LGB Labour group and trans-inclusive Pride in Labour group.

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