Rishi Sunak’s trans joke branded ‘shameful’ as Keir Starmer meets with Brianna Ghey’s mother Esther- latest

The father of murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey has demanded an apology from Rishi Sunak, saying he was “disgusted” with the prime minister’s comments, Kate Devlin reports.

Peter Spooner told Sky News the PM’s remarks during PMQs had been “degrading” and “absolutely dehumanising”.

He said: “Identities of people should not be used in that manner, and I personally feel shocked by his comments.”

Mr Spooner added that Mr Sunak “should apologise for his remarks”.

Jeremy Hunt has denied that Rishi Sunak made a joke about trans people during Prime Minister’s Questions and appeared to suggest the prime minister would not apologise.

The chancellor accused BBC political editor Chris Mason of taking Mr Sunak’s comments “out of context” after the PM said Labour leader Keir Starmer had U-turned on “defining a woman – although in fairness, that was only 99 per cent of a U-turn”.

Mr Starmer previously said 99.9 per cent of women “haven’t got a penis”.

Mr Hunt said: “If you had listened, as I did, to what he said, he could not have been clearer in the respect he has for Brianna Ghey’s mother in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

After it was put to Mr Hunt that the PM chose to deliver a “political punchline” about trans people, and had been “questioning what is a woman and what isn’t a woman”, the chancellor said: “The point he was making in PMQs was that we have a Labour Party that cannot make its mind up about the big issues”.

When asked if the PM should apologise, Mr Hunt said: “Well he made it clear the respect he has for Brianna Ghey’s mother”. You can watch some of the exchange below:

The prime minister’s mockery of Keir Starmer on trans rights – when the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey was in the Commons gallery – exposed his lack of a sixth political sense, writes John Rentoul.

Read John’s piece in full here:

A senior Labour MP has described Rishi Sunak’s trans joke as a “shameful new low”.

Anneliese Dodds, shadow women and equalities secretary, said politicians “must do better than this”.

“The prime minister should apologise immediately,” she added.

Business secretary Kemi Badenoch has accussed Keir Starmer of “weaponising” trans issues and linking “his own inability to be clear on the matter of sex and gender directly” to Brianna’s mother’s grief, Kate Devlin reports.

Ms Badenoch has inflamed the row over Rishi Sunak’s crass trans joke by blaming Keir Starmer, accusing him of “political point-scoring”.

In a post on Twitter, formerly known as X, she wrote: “Every murder is a tragedy.  None should be trivialised by political point-scoring. As a mother, I can imagine the trauma that Esther Ghey has endured.

“It was shameful of Starmer to link his own inability to be clear on the matter of sex and gender directly to her grief.”

She added: “As Minister for Women and Equalities I’ve done all I can to ensure we have take the heat out of the debate on LGBT issues while being clear about our beliefs and principles.

“Keir Starmer’s behaviour today shows Labour are happy to weaponise this issue when it suits them.”

Keir Starmer has met with Brianna Ghey’s mother in a parliament after Rishi Sunak made a “crass” joke about trans people at PMQs.

The Labour leader met with Esther Ghey in parliament during a visit in which she watched PMQs.

Mr Starmer said: “I am utterly in awe of her strength and bravery in the face of such unimaginable grief, as she campaigns to make sure no parent has to go through what she did.

“Labour will work with campaigners and parents like Esther to ensure our children and young people have the mental health support they need. It’s what Brianna and her family deserve.”

Stonewall’s spokesperson said: “For the prime minister to use trans people as a punchline, in front of the grieving mother of a murdered trans child, was cheap, callous and crass.

“The disrespect and dehumanisation of trans people that we see played out daily in the media and in our political discourse has real life consequences and it has to stop.

“We call on the prime minister to apologise unreservedly for his comments, and for him to reflect on how careless words from those in power can and do result in harm’’

This is not the first time the prime minister has attacked Labour over the issue of gender identity policies, which have been a frequent subject of debate in Westminster in recent years.

LGBT campaigners have condemned some of the language used by politicians to discuss transgender people, with the issue often drawn into the so-called “culture war” by right-wingers.

In his Tory conference speech last year, Mr Sunak told Conservative delegates in Manchester “We shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be.

“They can’t – a man is a man and a woman is a woman.”

A Labour spokeswoman called on Mr Sunak to apologise.

“We don’t think the country wants or deserves a prime minister that is happy to use minorities as a punchbag,” she said.

The prime minister also faced calls to apologise from Labour MP Liz Twist during the session but he did not directly respond to her call.

Concluding Prime Minister’s Questions, the PM said: “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.

“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.”

Rishi Sunak has refused to apologise for making a transgender joke in the Commons while the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey was watching from the gallery, as Number 10 called the jibe at Labour “totally legitimate”.

Number 10 declined repeatedly to apologise for Mr Sunak’s language and said it was part of a “legitimate” criticism of Labour.