
Councillor resigns from Labour over party's stance on trans rights
Trans Labour councillor Dylan Tippetts has resigned from the party, accusing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of abandoning trans people after the Supreme Court ruling on gender.
The court ruled that biological sex determines the definition of a woman in equality law, which has led to trans women being excluded from women's sports teams and bathrooms.
Sir Keir has reversed his previous stance that "trans women are women", advocating for trans people to use bathrooms aligning with their biological sex.
Mr Tippetts criticised Labour for its stance, saying he can no longer represent a party that doesn't support his fundamental rights and has taken society 'backwards decades'.
Mr Tippetts, who sits on the Plymouth City Council, plans to serve as an independent councillor until his term ends.
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Glasgow Times
26 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Government advises against all travel to Israel amid Iran conflict
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated travel advice on Sunday to advise 'against all travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories'. Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire overnight, after Sir Keir Starmer said that the UK was sending more RAF jets to the region amid the increasing hostilities. The FCDO website warns that 'travel insurance could be invalidated' if people travel against the advice, and described the current status as a 'fast-moving situation that poses significant risks'. Earlier on Sunday, Rachel Reeves said that sending more jets to the region 'does not mean' the UK is at war. Additional refuelling aircraft have been deployed from UK bases and more fast Typhoon jets will be sent over, it is understood. The Chancellor also indicated that the UK could 'potentially' support Israel, but declined to comment on 'what might happen in the future'. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (Carl Court/PA) Asked whether the announcement from the Prime Minister means the UK is at war, Ms Reeves told Sky News: 'No, it does not mean that we are at war. 'And we have not been involved in these strikes or this conflict, but we do have important assets in the region and it is right that we send jets to protect them and that's what we've done. 'It's a precautionary move.' Oil prices surged surged on Friday after Israel's initial strikes against Iran's nuclear programme, sparking fears of increasing prices in the UK. The Chancellor told the BBC that there is 'no complacency' from the Treasury on the issue and 'we're obviously, monitoring this very closely as a government'. Sir Keir has declined to rule out the possibility of intervening in the conflict entirely, and the Chancellor indicated on Sunday that the UK could 'potentially' support Israel in the future. Britain last announced it had deployed fighter jets in the region in last year, when the Government said British aircraft had played a part in efforts to prevent further escalation. Asked whether the UK would come to Israel's aid if asked, the Chancellor told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: 'We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in. 'I'm not going to comment on what might happen in the future, but so far, we haven't been involved, and we're sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.' Shadow chancellor of the Exchequer Mel Stride (James Manning/PA) Pushed again on whether the UK would deploy assets in support of Israel if asked, she said: 'What we've done in the past (…) is help protect Israel from incoming strikes. 'So a defensive activity.' She added: 'I'm not going to rule anything out at this stage (…) it's a fast moving situation, a very volatile situation.' It comes after Iranian state media said Tehran had warned it would target US, UK and French bases in the region if the countries help Israel thwart Iran's strikes, according to reports on Saturday. Conservative shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride has backed the Government's decision to send further RAF jets to the region, telling the BBC it is the 'right thing' to do. He told the BBC: 'We've got assets out there in the UAE, Oman, Cyprus, they need to be protected given that Iran has suggested they may be under threat.'

The National
31 minutes ago
- The National
For Women Scotland mull new legal action against Scottish Government
The anti-trans campaign group who took the case over the meaning of biological sex to the UK's highest court, and won, has now claimed the key motivation of the case has been lost amongst a growing debate on toilets. The Supreme Court ruled that under the Equality Act 2010, a woman was defined by biological sex, excluding trans people with a gender recognition certificate (GRC). Following the judgment in April, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued interim guidance that banned transgender people from using the toilets of their acquired sex. READ MORE: Ian Murray 'does not understand how devolution works', minister says The contentious guidance was branded as 'cruel', and now a consultation, which has been extended, is now underway before full guidance is published. The fallout from the ruling also saw trans women banned from taking part in women's football and cricket. Speaking at a fringe event at the Scottish Conservative conference in Edinburgh this weekend, For Women Scotland (FWS) co-director Susan Smith claimed there has been 'extraordinary pushback' following the judgment. 'We don't want to go back to court, we really, really don't, but if we don't see some action that may be something we will have to consider,' she told journalists afterward. Smith (below, left) said there were concerns about the lack of action by the Scottish Government on prisons and school guidance. 'We have spoken to the Scottish government and asked them to withdraw some of this guidance, just to say that it's under review – they don't have to re-issue anything at this point – because it's clearly unlawful, we really do need some action,' she said. 'They're telling us they have to wait for the EHRC revised guidance and we don't believe this is true.' The EHRC guidance said that it is 'compulsory' for workplaces to offer single-sex toilets and changing facilities. It said that trans women should not be allowed to use women's facilities and trans men should not be allowed to use men's facilities as 'this will mean that they are no longer single-sex facilities and must be open to all users of the opposite sex'. The guidance then went on to say that trans people 'should not be put in a position where there are no facilities for them to use'. READ MORE: UK jets being sent to the Middle East as Keir Starmer refuses to rule out defending Israel Smith claimed there has been too much focus on the issue of toilets. 'I wish we could stop talking about toilets all the time, because that wasn't really the reason we went to court,' she said. 'We went to court about the prisons, about the rape crisis centres, about the hospitals, where people are uniquely vulnerable.' It comes after Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who donated to FWS crowdfunder to take their case to the Supreme Court, set up a fund to challenge public service providers and employers over the issue. 'We really need people to start challenging where they feel that organisations, local councils are not implementing the law,' Smith said. 'We're very fortunate to have the fighting fund that JK Rowling set up and that will make a massive difference because when people start to realise that there's a cost maybe they will start to apply the law.' Current Scottish Prison Service (SPS) guidance states trans women prisoners cannot be housed on the female estate if they have been convicted of serious offences. A spokesperson for SPS said: 'We have received the supreme court's judgment and are considering any potential impact it may have.' The Scottish Government said it has 'been clear that we accept the supreme court judgment'. 'As the judgment relates specifically to the guidance issued under the Scottish Government's Gender Representation on Public Boards 2018 Act and stated that it was incorrect in relation to the definition referred to of 'woman' under the Equality Act, the guidance has now been removed and will be updated shortly to reflect the judgment,' a spokesperson said. 'The Scottish Government has already begun work on implementation. We have established a Short Life Working Group to ensure support and consistency across Government.'


Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Telegraph
If Sadiq Khan wants money for policing, he could trim his legions of overpaid bureaucrats
The Mayor of London is not happy. Despite the Chancellor's alarmingly profligate Spending Review announced this week – with commitments worth an estimated £600 billion – the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan remains 'concerned' with insufficient funding for the Metropolitan police. If Sir Sadiq's concern is keeping London safe, funding need not be a problem. We can provide him with a catalogue of fat to trim, which would free up taxpayers' money to better serve the public. In its City Hall Rich List published last year, the TaxPayers' Alliance revealed that the Mayor-led Greater London Assembly (GLA) and its subsidiary bodies employed at least 1,146 people who received over £100,000 in total remuneration in 2022-23. A whopping 143 of these employees received over £150,000. The same report also revealed that the number of employees at the Met Police (including the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime or MOPAC which oversees it) who received total remuneration of over £100,000 totalled at 301 in 2022-23. The number had almost quadrupled compared to that in 2018-19, when 80 employees received that amount. However, the crime rate per 1,000 people in London had gone up in that period. Could the money instead have been spent more efficiently on simply recruiting more old-fashioned bobbies on the beat? There are more savings to be made. In January, the Conservatives in City Hall put forward an amendment to the GLA budget that would see £22.4 million from the MOPAC fund being reallocated to the Metropolitan Police. Alas, it did not pass. Compared to the rest of England and Wales, the Met already 'receives the most funding per head of population' according to the Home Office. In 2024-25, it received up to £3.5 billion, which was an increase of up to £119 million on the previous year. However, early this year, the Met's Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned that his police force needed an extra £140 million 'to address the racism, misogyny and homophobia identified by the Casey Review '. It would appear that the nearly £3.7 million the Met spent on 'staff (and the number and cost of those staff) and non-staff initiatives for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion' between April 2024 to Feb 2025 had fallen short of delivering the intended results. In the light of these revelations, Waste Watch readers might be wondering if instead of demanding more money, the Mayor might have better luck keeping the capital safe by carrying out an audit of his priorities. I have every confidence that the Mayor would take this advice in the spirit in which it is meant, being the humble man he is. After all, he did graciously forgive the King for taking so long to dub him a knight.