The mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has broken her silence after Rishi Sunak faced a backlash for making an ‘offensive’ jibe about transgender people in the Commons.
The Prime Minister was slammed for making the remark on Wednesday while Brianna’s mum Esther was visiting Parliament.
He accused Sir Keir Starmer of having difficulty in "defining a woman" during an attack on Labour U-turns as Esther watched from the Commons gallery.
The controversial remarks came as Mr Sunak criticised the Labour leader for breaking "every promise he was elected on".
He said: "I think I have counted almost 30 in the last year. Pensions, planning, peerages, public sector pay, tuition fees, childcare, second referendums, defining a woman."
In an apparent reference to the comments, Ms Ghey wrote on Facebook: “I don’t wish to comment on reports of wording or comments recently made. My focus is on creating a positive change and a lasting legacy for Brianna.
“Through Peace & Mind [a mental health campaign set up to honour Brianna], we want to improve lives by empowering people, giving them the tools they need to build mental resilience, empathy, and self-compassion through mindfulness. In developing these skills, I hope that we can create a more understanding, peaceful, and stronger society for everyone.”
It comes after Brianna’s father Peter Spooner demanded Mr Sunak apologise.
He described the remarks as "degrading" and "absolutely dehumanising", adding that "regardless of [the comments] being in relation to discussions in parliament", Mr Sunak "should apologise for his remarks".
No 10 declined to apologise for the PM's remarks and said they had been part of a "legitimate" criticism of Labour.
But Sir Keir said: "Of all the weeks to say that, when Brianna's mother is in this chamber.
"I think the role of the Prime Minister is to ensure that every single citizen in this country feels safe and respected, it's a shame [Mr Sunak] doesn't share that."
Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch defended Mr Sunak, accusing Labour of trying to "weaponise" the issue.
She wrote on X: "Every murder is a tragedy. None should be trivialised by political point-scoring.
"It was shameful of Starmer to link his own inability to be clear on the matter of sex and gender directly to her grief."
LGBT+ charity Stonewall said: "For the [PM] to use trans people as a punchline, in front of the grieving mother of a murdered trans child, was cheap, callous and crass. We call on the Prime Minister to apologise unreservedly."
