Daily Mail

Now Keir admits it’s right to say that only women can have a cervix

- By Martin Beckford Policy Editor

SIR Keir Starmer has finally admitted that one of his MPs was correct to say that only women can have a cervix.

Labour’s leader conceded that Rosie duffield was ‘biological­ly’ right, more than two years after chastising her for the statement that resulted in her being accused of transphobi­a.

Sir Keir also claimed his views on gender ‘start with biology’ and there is a ‘distinctio­n between sex and gender’, although he previously backed selfId for transgende­r people and said some women do have a penis. But he refused to apologise to the Canterbury MP, triggering fresh criticism from women’s rights campaigner­s, including JK Rowling, despite his latest change of heart on gender ideology.

Sir Keir was put on the spot by ITV’s Good Morning Britain and asked if Ms duffield had been right or wrong to say that only women have a cervix.

In September 2021, he had declared ‘it is not right’, but yesterday, he said: ‘Biological­ly, she of course is right about that.’

Asked if he owed her an apology, he said: ‘I don’t want this to go back into this toxic place where everybody is divided.’

He went on: ‘Rosie duffield and

‘He’s got some brass neck’

I get on very well, we discuss a number of issues.

‘She’s a muchrespec­ted member of the Parliament­ary Labour Party and I want to have a discussion with her and anybody else about how we go forward in a positive way.’

But Ms duffield insists the couple have not spoken about women’s rights since September 2021, when she said she would stay away from the Labour conference after being branded transphobi­c for ‘ knowing that only women have cervix’.

When a social media user asked yesterday how Sir Keir gets on well with her despite not meeting her, the MP joked: ‘Telepathy?’

Ms duffield, who earlier this year announced she had been ‘ completely exonerated’ after an investigat­ion into alleged transphobi­a by Labour’s national Executive Committee, said: ‘It’s great that he now agrees with so many

Labour Party women members and activists. Hopefully now the endless trolling and reporting from groups such as LGBT Labour will no longer trigger lengthy disciplina­ry investigat­ions.’

Harry Potter author JK Rowling lamented Sir Keir’s refusal to say sorry, writing on X: ‘One lousy apology and he’d have bought a

lot of women’s good will, but evidently the mob must still be appeased.

‘Male politician­s who chose to pander to activists issuing violent threats against their own female MPs enabled and emboldened the toxic culture Keir Starmer now claims to deplore. When you’re part of the cause, you’ve

got some brass neck putting yourself forward as a cure.’

And equalities minister Kemi Badenoch said: ‘Keir Starmer flounders on this question because the Labour Party is trying to hold a line it does not believe. denying objective reality does not provide dignity.’

 ?? ?? U-turn: Keir Starmer, asked about his views on gender on ITV’s Good Morning Britain yesterday
U-turn: Keir Starmer, asked about his views on gender on ITV’s Good Morning Britain yesterday

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