Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has come under fire for making a remark about Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s stance on trans individuals during Prime Minister’s Questions. Sunak ridiculed Starmer for reversing his position on “the definition of a woman,” causing Starmer to visibly become angry, stating “Of all the weeks to say that when Brianna’s mother is in this chamber.” Although Brianna Ghey’s mother was not present at the time of the exchange, she arrived later.
Sunak dismissed a call from Labour MP Liz Twist for him to apologize to Ghey’s mother but later praised her, saying she embodied “the very best of humanity.” Ghey’s 16-year-old transgender daughter had been murdered by two teenagers obsessed with violence. Utilizing a list of Labour’s U-turns, Sunak referenced the interview where Starmer said “99.9% of women haven’t got a penis.” Starmer responded by accusing Sunak of hypocrisy because he was a man of integrity who bore no responsibility.
Later, a spokesperson for Starmer called for Sunak to apologize, stating “We don’t think that the country wants or deserves a prime minister who thinks minorities are a punchbag. The comments were deeply offensive to trans people. He should reflect on his response there and apologize.” Ghey attended a debate on mindfulness in schools and was in the House of Commons at the time. At the conclusion of the questions, Sunak praised Ghey for demonstrating compassion and empathy in the face of the tragedy of her daughter’s murder.
Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe were sentenced to life imprisonment for the “brutal, planned, and sadistic” murder of Brianna Ghey, who was partially targeted due to her gender identity. Sir Keir is to meet with Ghey by her invitation later. Sunak has repeatedly criticized Labour’s policies relating to transgender rights. The prime minister’s press secretary acknowledged that it was legitimate to question Starmer’s position on trans issues but refused to acknowledge allegations of transphobia. The press secretary also refused to say whether a cabinet member will meet with Ghey while she is in Parliament
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