London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Women's and trans rights are not in conflict, says Angela Rayner

Women's and trans rights are not in conflict, says Angela Rayner

"Women's rights are not in conflict with trans rights," Labour's deputy leader has told a fringe event at the party's conference.

Angela Rayner also reaffirmed Labour's support for changing the Gender Recognition Act to make it easier for people to change legal gender.

But the subject has become a point of conflict within the party.

On Tuesday, a conference delegate said she had been subjected to transphobic abuse inside the conference centre.

Meanwhile another delegate received both heckles and cheers for defending the Labour MP Rosie Duffield.

Ms Duffield had previously said she would not attend the conference due to receiving threats for her stance on the issue.

However, she made an appearance at an event, where she told the audience "there comes a point where you have to stand up and speak."

Addressing a conference event, Ms Rayner said Labour's policy of supporting changes to the Gender Recognition Act was not going to change.

Labour also backs the Equality Act which provides for individual trans women to be excluded from some spaces in specific circumstances.

Ms Rayner said it was wrong to suggest there was choice to be made between women's and trans rights.

"My struggle is your struggle," she told the audience.

She also committed the party to fighting what she called "this Section 28 moment" - a reference to the ban on local authorities "promoting homosexuality" which Labour repealed in 2003.

Rosie Duffield has clashed with campaigners over her views on self identification for trans people.

The subject has come up in the conference hall as well as at fringe events.

Canterbury MP Ms Duffield's views have prompted accusations of transphobia - a claim she rejects insisting she is supportive of trans rights.

Campaigners are also calling for the Gender Recognition Act to be changed to make the process of legally changing gender easier, for example, by allowing people to self-identify rather than having to meet certain medical requirements.

'Abuse'


At Labour conference on Tuesday, one party member Bronwen Davies told delegates that Ms Duffield had been "subjected to a vile campaign of abuse for daring to express beliefs which she is perfectly entitled to hold".

She said: "And even if I disagreed with her, I would defend to the death her right to express her views without being subjected to a torrent of misogynistic abuse."

Earlier in the day, Patricia Hannah-Wood said she had faced transphobic abuse in the toilets at the conference.

She said the LGBT+ community was "under constant attack", adding "within our own families, within our workplace, here within our conference. This is not acceptable."

Asked about the allegation, a Labour spokesperson said: "We do not tolerate abuse of any kind."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×