Rishi Sunak's trans jibe provokes condemnation
Father of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey said Sunak's remarks were 'absolutely dehumanising'
The prime minister was met with cries of 'shame' and 'disgusting'
(Image credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
BY ARION MCNICOLL
, THE WEEK UK
Rishi Sunak has been widely condemned for making a jibe about Keir Starmer's position on trans issues while the mother of murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey was in the House of Commons.
The prime minister was heckled with cries of "shame" and "disgusting" when he accused Keir Starmer of repeatedly changing his position on things, including "defining a woman". Starmer replied: "Of all the weeks to say that, when Brianna's mother is in this chamber. Shame."
Whether driven by "callousness or clumsiness", Sunak's trans jibe is his "new normal", said The Guardian. Whatever motivated the remark on the day Esther Ghey visited Parliament, "as an election looms, we can expect much more of the same", it added.
Brianna's father, Peter Spooner, has demanded an apology, calling Sunak's words "absolutely dehumanising", said Sky News. For now, No. 10 is refusing to back down, saying the PM's comments were part of a "legitimate" criticism of Labour.
Writing on social media, the minister for women and equalities, Kemi Badenoch, said it was "shameful" of Starmer "to link his own inability to be clear on the matter of sex and gender" to Ghey's grief. She added that "every murder is a tragedy" and "none should be trivialised by political point-scoring".
Ghey was in the Houses of Parliament to attend a debate on mindfulness in schools, organised by her MP, Charlotte Nichols. She also met Starmer after Prime Minister's Questions.
Rishi Sunak has been widely condemned for making a jibe about Keir Starmer's position on trans issues while the mother of murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey was in the House of Commons.
The prime minister was heckled with cries of "shame" and "disgusting" when he accused Keir Starmer of repeatedly changing his position on things, including "defining a woman". Starmer replied: "Of all the weeks to say that, when Brianna's mother is in this chamber. Shame."
Whether driven by "callousness or clumsiness", Sunak's trans jibe is his "new normal", said The Guardian. Whatever motivated the remark on the day Esther Ghey visited Parliament, "as an election looms, we can expect much more of the same", it added.
Brianna's father, Peter Spooner, has demanded an apology, calling Sunak's words "absolutely dehumanising", said Sky News. For now, No. 10 is refusing to back down, saying the PM's comments were part of a "legitimate" criticism of Labour.
Writing on social media, the minister for women and equalities, Kemi Badenoch, said it was "shameful" of Starmer "to link his own inability to be clear on the matter of sex and gender" to Ghey's grief. She added that "every murder is a tragedy" and "none should be trivialised by political point-scoring".
Ghey was in the Houses of Parliament to attend a debate on mindfulness in schools, organised by her MP, Charlotte Nichols. She also met Starmer after Prime Minister's Questions.
'Rishi Sunak's government has turned trans lives into a political football after his transphobic jibes'
Only under the Tories have trans rights and trans lives been weaponised as the next frontier of their toxic culture wars in a last-ditch attempt to save themselves from electoral wipeout
Rishi Sunak spoke during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London (Image: PA)
By Mizy Judah Clifton
But Badenoch and her fellow Tories have got things hopelessly back to front. For only under the Tories have trans rights and trans lives been weaponised as the next frontier of their toxic culture wars in a last-ditch attempt to save themselves from electoral wipeout.
Every time I write about trans issues there’s a torrent of disgusting abuse on social media, every bigoted troll feeling empowered by no less than the Prime Minister.
The least we can do now is honour Brianna Ghey as she was. May she rest in peace as the schoolgirl she should have been allowed to be.
Only under the Tories have trans rights and trans lives been weaponised as the next frontier of their toxic culture wars in a last-ditch attempt to save themselves from electoral wipeout
Rishi Sunak spoke during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London (Image: PA)
By Mizy Judah Clifton
THE MIRROR
8 Feb 2024
The Prime Minister’s comments are disappointing but not surprising. This government has turned trans lives like my own into a political football. It shouldn’t take the presence of a grieving mother, whose compassion puts him to shame, for politicians from all sides to call out transphobic jibes when they see and hear them.
Just last year, Rishi Sunak stood in the same spot and sent his “heartfelt condolences” to Brianna’s family and all those who were privileged to know her. If only he could take better note of Mrs Justice Yip’s remarks when sentencing Brianna’s killers that they were partly driven by anti-trans hatred.
The Prime Minister’s comments are disappointing but not surprising. This government has turned trans lives like my own into a political football. It shouldn’t take the presence of a grieving mother, whose compassion puts him to shame, for politicians from all sides to call out transphobic jibes when they see and hear them.
Just last year, Rishi Sunak stood in the same spot and sent his “heartfelt condolences” to Brianna’s family and all those who were privileged to know her. If only he could take better note of Mrs Justice Yip’s remarks when sentencing Brianna’s killers that they were partly driven by anti-trans hatred.
Murdered teenager Brianna Ghey and mother Esther
His Cabinet colleague Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour of “weaponising” Brianna’s death to score a political points.
His Cabinet colleague Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour of “weaponising” Brianna’s death to score a political points.
But Badenoch and her fellow Tories have got things hopelessly back to front. For only under the Tories have trans rights and trans lives been weaponised as the next frontier of their toxic culture wars in a last-ditch attempt to save themselves from electoral wipeout.
Every time I write about trans issues there’s a torrent of disgusting abuse on social media, every bigoted troll feeling empowered by no less than the Prime Minister.
Esther Ghey met Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer in the House of Commons
(
Image: Getty Images)
He needs to remember trans people, like Brianna, are real people, with full, vibrant lives, and who are hurt by his words.
Image: Getty Images)
He needs to remember trans people, like Brianna, are real people, with full, vibrant lives, and who are hurt by his words.
The least we can do now is honour Brianna Ghey as she was. May she rest in peace as the schoolgirl she should have been allowed to be.
UK Leader Sunak Criticized For Gender Remark As Mother Of Murdered Teenager Attends Parliament
In response to a question from Keir Starmer, Sunak listed a series of issues that he said showed the Labour leader making about-turns, ending with a quip about his stance on “defining a woman, although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn."
Associated Press (AP)
February 8, 2024
UK PM Rishi Sunak faced criticism after seeking to mock the position of the Labour Party's leader
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced criticism Wednesday after seeking to mock the position of the Labour Party's leader on the definition of a woman, less than two minutes after lawmakers heard that the mother of a murdered transgender teenager was in Parliament.
In response to a question from Keir Starmer, Sunak listed a series of issues that he said showed the Labour leader making about-turns, ending with a quip about his stance on “defining a woman, although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn."
His remark was intended to embarrass Starmer, who Sunak's Conservatives have accused of vacillating on the issue of self-identification, and who have pounced on his comment last year that “99.9% of women haven't got a penis.”
Starmer, who had welcomed the mother of Brianna Ghey, Esther Ghey, was visibly furious in response. He said the comments were inappropriate, and Sunak later acknowledged Ghey.
“Of all the weeks to say that, when Brianna's mother is in this chamber. Shame,” Starmer said. “Parading as a man of integrity when he's got absolutely no responsibility.”
Last Friday, the two 16-year-old convicted murderers of Brianna a year ago were handed life sentences with minimum prison terms of 20 and 22 years. The horrific murder shocked the nation. Brianna, who was 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in broad daylight after being lured to a park in the town of Warrington in northwest England on Feb. 11, 2023.
Brianna's mother has been widely praised for her dignified response, calling for the families of the convicted pair to be shown some empathy and compassion. In an interview Sunday with the BBC, she said she would be open to meeting the mother of Scarlett Jenkinson, one of Brianna's two killers who according to the judge in the case was the ringleader.
Esther Ghey is campaigning for restrictions on what under-16s can access on their cell phones and for the wider use of mindfulness in schools, as a way to help teachers and children to look after their mental health.
At the end of Sunak's weekly — and often rowdy — questioning in Parliament, he acknowledged the presence of Brianna's mother in the chamber.
"If I could just say also to Brianna Ghey's mother who is here, as I said earlier this week, what happened was an unspeakable and shocking tragedy,” he said. “As I said earlier this week, in the face of that, for her mother to demonstrate the compassion and empathy that she did last weekend, I thought demonstrated the very best of humanity in the face of seeing the very worst of humanity.
“She deserves all our admiration and praise for that," he added. Stonewall, a group that stands for LGBTQ+ rights, urged Sunak to apologize for his “cheap, callous and crass” use of trans people as a “punchline.”
The exchange has stoked concerns about the level of debate in the run-up to a general election later this year. With his Conservative Party trailing the main opposition Labour Party heavily in the opinion polls, Sunak has come under pressure from some of his own lawmakers to put so-called “culture war” issues on the agenda, in an attempt to create dividing lines that could begin to dominate the public debate.
In response to a question from Keir Starmer, Sunak listed a series of issues that he said showed the Labour leader making about-turns, ending with a quip about his stance on “defining a woman, although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn."
Associated Press (AP)
February 8, 2024
UK PM Rishi Sunak faced criticism after seeking to mock the position of the Labour Party's leader
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced criticism Wednesday after seeking to mock the position of the Labour Party's leader on the definition of a woman, less than two minutes after lawmakers heard that the mother of a murdered transgender teenager was in Parliament.
In response to a question from Keir Starmer, Sunak listed a series of issues that he said showed the Labour leader making about-turns, ending with a quip about his stance on “defining a woman, although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn."
His remark was intended to embarrass Starmer, who Sunak's Conservatives have accused of vacillating on the issue of self-identification, and who have pounced on his comment last year that “99.9% of women haven't got a penis.”
Starmer, who had welcomed the mother of Brianna Ghey, Esther Ghey, was visibly furious in response. He said the comments were inappropriate, and Sunak later acknowledged Ghey.
“Of all the weeks to say that, when Brianna's mother is in this chamber. Shame,” Starmer said. “Parading as a man of integrity when he's got absolutely no responsibility.”
Last Friday, the two 16-year-old convicted murderers of Brianna a year ago were handed life sentences with minimum prison terms of 20 and 22 years. The horrific murder shocked the nation. Brianna, who was 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in broad daylight after being lured to a park in the town of Warrington in northwest England on Feb. 11, 2023.
Brianna's mother has been widely praised for her dignified response, calling for the families of the convicted pair to be shown some empathy and compassion. In an interview Sunday with the BBC, she said she would be open to meeting the mother of Scarlett Jenkinson, one of Brianna's two killers who according to the judge in the case was the ringleader.
Esther Ghey is campaigning for restrictions on what under-16s can access on their cell phones and for the wider use of mindfulness in schools, as a way to help teachers and children to look after their mental health.
At the end of Sunak's weekly — and often rowdy — questioning in Parliament, he acknowledged the presence of Brianna's mother in the chamber.
"If I could just say also to Brianna Ghey's mother who is here, as I said earlier this week, what happened was an unspeakable and shocking tragedy,” he said. “As I said earlier this week, in the face of that, for her mother to demonstrate the compassion and empathy that she did last weekend, I thought demonstrated the very best of humanity in the face of seeing the very worst of humanity.
“She deserves all our admiration and praise for that," he added. Stonewall, a group that stands for LGBTQ+ rights, urged Sunak to apologize for his “cheap, callous and crass” use of trans people as a “punchline.”
The exchange has stoked concerns about the level of debate in the run-up to a general election later this year. With his Conservative Party trailing the main opposition Labour Party heavily in the opinion polls, Sunak has come under pressure from some of his own lawmakers to put so-called “culture war” issues on the agenda, in an attempt to create dividing lines that could begin to dominate the public debate.
No comments:
Post a Comment