Green councillors attended pro-trans rally where Andy Burnham effigy was stabbed - on day Ann Widdecombe was found murdered

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 12:48, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 12:52, 14 July 2026 Green Party councillors attended a pro-trans rally where an effigy of Andy Burnham was stabbed by protesters, on the day Ann Widdecombe was discovered murdered in her home. Four, including three Hackney Council cabinet members, attended a demo outside the borough's town hall in East London, where Zack Polanski's party won power in May's local elections. It was called to urge the authority to refuse to implement the Equality and Human Rights Commission's guidance on single sex spaces which says trans people should use facilities aligned with their birth sex. Mr Burnham, who is due to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister on Monday, has said the 'time has come' to implement guidance on the basis of a landmark Supreme Court ruling on biological sex last year. Video of the July 9 protest showed protesters stabbing an effigy of the Makerfield MP with darts. While there is no suggestion any of the councillors was involved in attacking the dummy, their presence at the protest has been criticised.   It took place hours after police discovered the body of former Tory minister Ms Widdecombe at her home in Devon, although the death was not publicly announced until the following day. Today Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy highlighted the timing, adding: 'It is a shared responsibility of all of us in our democracy to call out and condemn violence and threats against politicians.  'I hope the Green Party leadership takes appropriate action this time.' Video of the protest last week showed protesters stabbing an effigy of the Makerfield MP with darts It took place on the day former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe was found murdered at her home in Devon, although the death was not announced until the following day. The demo was one of at least 13 organised across the UK to protest against new trans guidance n single-sex spaces Heather Binning, from the Women's Rights Network said: 'What is genuinely shocking is that Green Party councillors neither intervened to stop, nor have since condemned, a stunt that simulated violence against a politician, even when asked directly to comment on the incident.  'This raises serious questions about whether politicians who oppose women's rights to single-sex services and spaces in the name of so-called ''trans rights'' can be trusted to uphold standards of open and healthy debate which underpin our democracy.  'Frankly it calls into question their basic decency - and in the context of recent events is all the more disturbing.' The four who attended included Florence Schechter, a Green cabinet member who founded and once ran the Vagina Museum. Two other cabinet members, Laura-Louise Fairley and Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, also attended along with Councillor Jas Crowe. A Hackney Green Group spokesperson told the Times: 'A number of Green councillors attended the event in order to reiterate their solidarity with the trans community, including holding a minute silence for transgender people who have lost their lives due to societal prejudice and violence.  'This event was held in the context of the revised EHRC guidance, which works to segregate trans people from public life, exposes them to risk and makes unfeasible asks of businesses, services, and public bodies.  'Any protest involves various organisations and individuals. There is no collective responsibility for each attendee to account for the actions of other attendees.'  The demo was one of at least 13 organised across the UK to protest against the trans guidance. The code of practice for services, public functions and associations – which would apply across England, Scotland and Wales – was updated in full by the EHRC in May for the first time since 2011 and covers nine protected characteristics including sex and gender reassignment. Hackney's Green cabinet members Laura-Louise Fairley (top) and Alastair Binnie-Lubbock attended the event Another attendee was Florence Schechter, a Green cabinet member who founded and once ran the Vagina Museum in East London It is aimed at guiding businesses and other organisations such as leisure centres and hospitals on how they can follow equality law, including in provision of single and separate-sex services such as toilets and changing-rooms. Its publication – confirming single-sex services must be used on the basis of biological sex and not gender identity – was welcomed by women's rights campaigners, but some trans rights groups branded its content 'exclusionary'.   Zack Polanski has been approached to comment.  Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.