Labour's stance on women's rights descended into farce last night as a minister failed to back single-sex spaces and its union paymaster said it will ignore the Supreme Court judgment.
A health minister refused four times to say which changing room transgender women should use - despite the unanimous ruling that they are not legally women.
And the president of one of Britain's largest unions - which gives Labour millions of pounds a year - said the historic decision 'does not change' its pro-trans policy.
It came as Left-wing Labour MPs and the party's LGBT+ groups criticised the findings of the country's highest court, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves squirmed when asked if Keir Starmer should apologise to an MP for criticising her assertion that only women have a cervix.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour's failure to back single-sex spaces and its union paymaster's 'open hostility' to the ruling show that claims it was pro-women's rights were 'completely false'. She told the Mail: 'Women and girls will be failed by Labour again and again, as they always have been.'
Health minister Karin Smyth failed four times to clarify which changing room trans women should use in light of the Supreme Court judgment.
Ms Smyth said it was 'important that a trans woman or a trans man also has dignity in their use of public spaces'.
Asked again, she told Times Radio: 'This varies [depending] upon what the provision of those service providers are - large organisations, small organisations.'
Susan Smith and Marion Calder - co-directors of For Women Scotland - celebrated the Supreme Court ruled that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour's failure to back single-sex spaces shows that claims it was pro-women's rights were 'completely false'
Her comments contrasted sharply with those from the head of the equalities watchdog, who said in no uncertain terms that trans women now cannot use single-sex female facilities or compete in women's sports.
Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) chairman Baroness Falkner said the ruling 'does bring clarity' for organisations on their single-sex policies and vowed to pursue those that do not enforce women-only spaces.
She added: 'Single-sex services like changing rooms must be based on biological sex. If a male person is allowed to use a women-only service or facility, it isn't any longer single-sex, then it becomes a mixed-sex space.'
And asked if it was now straightforward that trans women cannot take part in women's sport, she told BBC Radio 4: 'Yes, it is.'
But Steve North, president of the Unison union which gave Labour more than £4 million last year said on X: 'I want to restate my solidarity with our trans members. This judgment does not change Unison policy in support of trans rights.'
He also shared a post from one of the union's branches that stated 'trans women are women' and added that any Unison members - who predominantly work in local government, education and the NHS - affected by the ruling should reach out 'for support'.
Mrs Badenoch said: 'The flailing of Karin Smyth on the radio and the open hostility to the Supreme Court judgment from Unison, one of the Labour Party's biggest donors, just shows that Labour's position on this is completely false.
'Labour doesn't support single-sex spaces and they don't understand the principle.'
A Labour source hit back, saying: 'After 14 years of Tory failure to act, it's Labour who will protect women's spaces. We have always been crystal clear that single-sex spaces are important and that biology matters.' It came as the Government was under growing pressure to overhaul the Equalities Act to enshrine biological sex in law.
Mrs Badenoch said that 'Labour are trying to gaslight the public and rewrite history on the Supreme Court judgment' and called for equality laws to be rewritten to prevent this.
Equality and Human Rights Commission chairman Baroness Falkner vowed to pursue those that do not enforce women-only spaces
Steve North, president of the Unison union, restated his 'solidarity with our trans members' and said 'this judgment does not change Unison policy in support of trans rights'
MP Rosie Duffield said she was 'isolated, hounded and harassed' out of Labour for her gender-critical views
Ms Reeves dodged questions about the court ruling and whether the Prime Minister should apologise to MP Rosie Duffield, who has said she was 'isolated, hounded and harassed' out of Labour for her gender-critical views. Asked whether Sir Keir should say sorry, Ms Reeves said: 'Well, the most important thing is that we now have that clarity that is needed, so we welcome that Supreme Court ruling and the clarity that it gives to service providers and also to women.'
But Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters which provided evidence in the landmark case, said: 'There really is no room for equivocation on this - it's the law of the land.'
‘Every government minister - and every politician from all parties - needs to understand this.’ And Caroline Ffiske, from Conservatives for Women, added: ‘It is hugely disappointing and an abdication of responsibility that the Labour Government appears to want to continue to pretend that the situation is complex.’
Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling said: ‘The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological woman and biological sex.’
The decision was the culmination of a seven-year legal fight brought by gender-critical campaign group For Women Scotland against the Scottish government.
The court ruled that the process of awarding a £6 Gender Recognition Certificate does not turn a biological man into a woman, meaning trans people do not get specific protections for biological women contained in the Equality Act.
A Unison spokesman said: ‘The union is going through the judgment and will consider its implications for any guidance that is provided to members.’