Rayner refuses to back down over attack on gender critical group

ANGELA RAYNER has declined to apologise for endorsing a charter that described feminist organisations who had raised fears about the treatment of trans children as “hate groups”.

When Ms Rayner stood to be Labour deputy leader in 2020 she backed a trans rights charter which described bodies including Women’s Place UK – which campaigns for single-sex rape refuges for women – as “trans-exclusionist hate groups”.

In the wake of the Cass review, Ms Rayner has faced calls to renounce the comments.

A string of high-profile Labour figures have previously made remarks endorsing the views of trans activists, including leader Sir Keir Starmer, who in 2022 said “trans women are women”.

Yesterday, Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, accused Labour of having fuelled an “atmosphere or intimidation” on trans issues.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, admitted on Wednesday night that he had been wrong to say in the past that “trans women are women, get over it”.

However, Ms Rayner’s spokesman declined to apologise.

A Labour spokesman said: “We all have a responsibility to ensure discussion of sensitive issues is conducted in a respectful way. That is how the Labour Party will always operate.”

Sir Keir’s spokesman declined yesterday to withdraw his remark that “trans women are women”.

However, he said: “Of course sex and gender are different, and legally different for good reason.”

The group LGB Alliance, which is critical of gender ideology, was also listed as a hate group by the Labour trans campaign, and last year it was turned down when it applied to host a stand at the Labour conference.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the charity’s chief executive Kate Barker said: “We hope Angela Rayner will reflect on the Cass review and reconsider her opinion of LGB Alliance.

“It is not ‘hateful’ for an LGB charity to warn about ideologically-driven, unevidenced medical experiments on young people – most of whom are lesbian, gay or bisexual.

“There’s a much more profound issue at play, however, which is a culture where even senior politicians condemn their opponents as ‘hateful’ with zero evidence – and zero engagement. It’s also one of the chief reasons this unprecedented medical scandal has been allowed to continue for so long.

“This year, LGB Alliance will once again apply to exhibit at Labour conference; we hope, in the light of Cass, we will finally be granted the opportunity to attend and engage in civilised and rational discussion.”

A spokeswoman for Women’s Place UK said: “We welcome the change in direction by UK Labour and the comments made by several senior Labour figures in response to the Cass Review. We hope this is reflected across the Labour Party and in the manifesto.”

Ms Atkins told Sky News: “Labour has spent the last 10 years trying to shut women up when it comes to this.

“They have been … creating an atmosphere of intimidation for anyone who dared to question this ideology.

“So it is a little bit rich of the Labour Party to be lecturing the rest of us now having been so forthright in their support for this ideology in the past.”