UK ministers will meet with their counterparts in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales to discuss the implications of the Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman.
Scottish ministers previously called for an urgent meeting with the UK Government following the ruling, which concluded trans women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.
The Scottish Government lost its Supreme Court battle against women’s rights campaign group For Women Scotland last week.
Cabinet Office minister Douglas Alexander has now said meetings will be held to assess the implications on the devolved nations.
Alexander was responding to questions from Scottish Labour MP Kenneth Stevenson and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Carla Lockhart during Cabinet Office questions in Westminster.
Stevenson said: “This ruling provides important legal clarity and it is critical that the UK and Scottish Governments work in a co-ordinated manner to ensure the practical impacts are understood. Can he outline how he plans to ensure this co-ordinated approach delivers for women in Scotland and across the United Kingdom?”
Lockhart said she welcomed the ruling as a “return to common sense and biological reality”.
She added: “What steps is the minister taking to ensure the Government messaging reflects this clarity and that it is implemented consistently both across the devolved regions and here in Westminster?”
Responding to Lockhart, Alexander said: “I can assure (her) that the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has a remit across the nations and regions of the United Kingdom has already committed to supporting service providers with updated guidance.
“And I can assure her as surely as I confirmed the position that we’re talking to colleagues in Scotland, we’ll also be talking to colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland.”
