A FURIOUS Liz Truss has accused Labour MPs of blocking her bid to ban trans women from entering single-sex spaces.
Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch also lashed out at the Opposition, accusing Sir Keir Starmer of being “terrified” of debate on safeguarding.
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss brought forward her Private Member’s Bill on Friday[/caption]
The Commons was due to debate the former PM’s proposed legislation, which would also have barred transgender women from participating in women’s sports and stopped children attempting to change their sex.
But MPs spent five hours debating two other proposals from backbenchers, meaning they ran out of time to debate Ms Truss’s.
By convention, her Bill will now fall to the bottom of the priority list and it is almost certain that it will not to be debated.
The former prime minister said: “I’m furious that Labour MPs have filibustered in Parliament today to prevent debate of my Private Member’s Bill.
“Concerned parents will want to know why Labour don’t even want to discuss how to protect children and single sex spaces, let alone put those protections into law.
“Labour care more about ideology than the protection of children.”
Echoing Ms Truss’s accusations, Ms Badenoch wrote on social media: “Just now Labour MPs prevented debate on a new law to protect children and single-sex spaces. Instead they used parliamentary time to discuss ferret name choices.
“Keir Starmer is terrified of debate on safeguarding & his MPs actively work to ignore the concerns of constituents.”
In one of the earlier debates on puppy smuggling, more Conservative MPs spoke but Labour members provided the longest speeches.
A Conservative MP told The Sun Labour colleagues privately acknowledged their efforts to thwart the transgender reform law.
It had been suggested ministers could back Ms Truss’s Bill, with a Government aide saying Ms Badenoch was “very supportive of the aims of Liz’s Bill”.
Downing Street would not be drawn on whether the Government would back it but reiterated ministers welcomed its sentiment.
