Women should not trust Andy Burnham. Every time the question of single-sex spaces arises, he sides with biological men, according to author Joan Smith. Labour has already produced a prime minister, Keir Starmer, who embarrassed himself by echoing trans activists' claims. The prospect of another believer in gender ideology succeeding Starmer alarms Smith.
As the Daily Mail front page highlighted, Burnham fails to see why men identifying as women should be excluded from women's toilets. Women's legitimate anxieties about sharing intimate spaces with men mean nothing to him. If he recognises a conflict between women's rights and trans activists' demands—which Smith doubts—his only solution is to call for 'consensus'.
Smith, a lifelong Labour voter until she saw the party prioritising trans women over biological women, argues Burnham dismisses valid arguments, labelling critics as 'supposed feminists' and questioning their motives. He is now lionised by Labour as a saviour, but Smith views him as a man offering empty gestures.
Burnham described the single-sex spaces debate as 'really polarised and terribly hateful'. Smith contends he is wedded to 'trans rights' and believes the subject should not be discussed, ignoring harm to women. He dismissed the plight of female prisoners sharing spaces with men with male genitals.
In 2022, Burnham said he didn't want to see people standing up for trans rights and 'supposedly' women's rights arguing on Manchester streets. Smith fears he would say the same as prime minister, posing a risk to women's rights. Unlike Starmer, who accepted the Supreme Court ruling, Burnham equivocated, criticising EHRC guidance as 'confusing'.
The Supreme Court ruling was a blow to Labour activists who believe trans women can go anywhere. Some mutter about changing the law to give trans-identified men equal status. Scotland serves as a warning: after complaints from two trans-identifying MSPs, the Scottish Parliament removed gender information from its website, labelling such queries 'transphobic'. Scottish legislators voted for self-ID with few safeguards.
Labour leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, regretted supporting self-ID, but Burnham's stance remains unclear. In 2019, he signed a letter with other Labour mayors calling for easier gender recognition certificates, describing the Gender Recognition Act as 'outdated'. The letter, also signed by Sadiq Khan, argued for self-ID, which would destroy women's single-sex spaces. Burnham's signature was first, unquestioningly accepting claims of 'significant inequalities' faced by trans people.
Since then, trans activists have influenced everyday life: gender-neutral toilets and preferred pronouns imposed by institutions fearing hurting trans feelings. Nurses have been disciplined for objecting to trans women in female changing rooms; authors disinvited for refusing to believe biological males become women. The tide is turning due to legal actions, raising urgent questions for Burnham: does he recognise women's objections, accept the Supreme Court ruling, or support self-ID?
On 'transing' children, Burnham oversaw a £100,000 grant to a charity supporting puberty blockers for children. A clinical trial was paused after regulator concerns about medicalising children with gender dysphoria, a rare condition. Burnham also supports a total ban on 'conversion therapy', risking criminalising counsellors with a 'wait and see' approach.
Smith left Labour in 2022, seeing many gender ideology supporters selected as candidates. LGBT+ Labour membership soared to over 60 MPs, swimming against public opinion opposed to men claiming to change sex. Many MPs might support Burnham if he returns to Parliament, but they must consider the wider public. Smith concludes: Andy Burnham is a relic of Labour's inglorious past, not its future.
