Jibe the latest misstep from a Prime Minister who has failed to adapt
Rishi Sunak has been urged to apologise after an incident in the Commons where he mocked Sir Keir Starmer’s struggles “defining a woman” – a comment that sparked an immediate backlash.
The joke was made as the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey was at the Houses of Parliament. Esther Ghey was understood not to be in the public gallery for the immediate exchange, but entered later. Frankly, this does not matter.
Making a joke that leans into bigotry is problematic at the best of times, but even worse in a week where headlines have been dominated by a brutal murder motivated by transphobia.
The scale of the anger in the Commons was palpable, with the Labour leader demanding an apology. Sir Keir said: “Of all the weeks to say that, when Brianna’s mother is in this chamber. Shame. Parading as a man of integrity when he’s got absolutely no responsibility.”
Sir Keir's anger was shared by the SNP, Labour MPS and even some of Mr Sunak’s own colleagues, with the Tory Reform Group urging the government “to stop using the trans community as a punchline”.
The remark was thoughtless and avoidable. The Prime Minister should not have made the comment at all, but saying it this week takes all the focus away from any of his policies, and again portrays him at best inept, and at worst, uncaring.
Language matters, words matter, and Mr Sunak should have known to leave that part of his culture war at the door. Failing to adapt to this is fast becoming a trend of his premiership.
It comes just days after, during an interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan, he shook hands on a £1,000 bet that people would be deported to Rwanda.
Mr Sunak tried to insist later he wasn’t a gambling man, despite previously boasting of his spread betting exploits, but the damage was done. The Tory leader shook hands betting a lot of money, during a costof-living crisis, that human beings could be banned from Britain. He could have declined, saying he believed in strong borders, but didn’t want to bet on it. Instead, he’s made another gaffe that will dominate the headlines and lead the discourse.