Rishi Sunak's trans jibe provokes condemnation

Father of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey said Sunak's remarks were 'absolutely dehumanising'

Rishi Sunak
The prime minister was met with cries of 'shame' and 'disgusting'
(Image credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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."

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.