A heated exchange unfolded live on Sky News after anchor Anna Jones pressed Health and Social Care Minister Karin Smyth on Labour’s stance following a landmark Supreme Court ruling defining “woman” in UK law as biological sex.
The ruling, delivered by Lord Hodge, Lady Rose, and Lady Simler, clarified that under the Equality Act 2010, sex is binary — “a person is either a woman or a man.” The decision has ignited fierce debate across the political spectrum and newsrooms alike. Tory MP Kemi Badenoch hailed the decision, saying, “Saying ‘trans women are women’ was never true in fact, and now isn’t true in law either”, reported the Express.
But Labour found itself under pressure when Anna questioned whether Keir Starmer owed MP Rosie Duffield an apology. Duffield, a vocal campaigner for women’s rights, has long claimed she was ostracised by her party for saying “only women have a cervix.”
Karin Smyth, clearly uncomfortable, tried to dodge the question by stating Duffield had been supported as a Labour candidate during the election, and that Starmer had “changed the Labour Party on a number of issues.”
Anna didn’t let it slide. “But she was ostracised by the party,” she pushed. Karin shot back: “That’s her view. That’s her opinion. She’s entitled to it.”
The conversation grew more tense as Anna reminded Smyth that in 2021, Starmer had said Duffield’s statement — that only women have a cervix — was “not right.” Karin responded cautiously, saying, “Before the election, he said that wasn’t the right thing to say. He cleared that up. That’s why our manifesto was very clear. He changed the Labour Party.”
The Supreme Court ruling has drawn strong responses from public figures. JK Rowling posted, “It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court… I’m so proud to know you.”
Piers Morgan also weighed in, writing on X: “As the ludicrous woke war on what a woman is finally ends in crushing and unequivocal legal defeat, a reminder that my new book is coming soon…”
With tensions high and public reactions pouring in, Labour is facing growing pressure to clarify its stance — and whether it will stand by or distance itself from those who’ve spoken out in defence of biological sex. For many watching, this ruling hasn’t ended the debate — it’s just brought it front and centre.
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