Keir Starmer warned by campaigners that women's rights are STILL not being upheld by NHS and town halls as first anniversary of landmark Supreme Court judgment approaches

By MARTIN BECKFORD, POLICY EDITOR Published: 11:15, 13 April 2026 | Updated: 11:15, 13 April 2026 Women are still waiting for the right to their own spaces to be upheld a year on from the landmark Supreme Court ruling, Keir Starmer has been warned by leading activists. Campaigners - led by the women who secured the major victory over transgender ideology - have told the Prime Minister he must take urgent action to make sure the law is now followed. They have written to him ahead of the first anniversary of the judgment this Thursday to demand he makes Whitehall abide by it in all its policies and at all of its premises. Their letter points out that Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has still not published updated rules handed to her by Britain’s equalities watchdog last September, which make clear that men who identify as women must use facilities such as toilets and changing rooms that match their birth sex. Many taxpayer-funded bodies including NHS trusts and town halls say they are waiting for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) code of practice before they get rid of policies that put transgender rights above single-sex services. And the activists say they are still waiting for the Cabinet Office to scrap outdated rules that tell civil servants that ‘refusing to accept an individual’s gender identity’ constitutes unlawful discrimination. The letter to Sir Keir is signed first by Trina Budge, Marion Calder and Susan Smith of For Women Scotland, who brought the legal challenge that led to Britain’s highest court confirming sex is defined by biology and not gender identity for the purposes of equality law. It states: ‘It is now almost a year since the Supreme Court confirmed, in its judgment in favour of For Women Scotland, that the terms “man” and “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 carry their ordinary biological meaning. ‘The Court made clear that any alternative interpretation “would turn the foundational definition of sex on its head” and diminish protection against sex discrimination. Campaigners staged a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament on Saturday ahead of the first anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling on equality law ‘Yet a year on, women are still waiting for our rights to be fully recognised and upheld in practice.’ The letter says the continued failure to act has had ‘real and damaging consequences’ with public servants still fearing being branded transphobic if they recognise biological sex and women being denied everything from single-sex gym changing rooms to rape crisis counselling. In addition, public bodies are ‘exposing themselves to legal risk and creating ongoing uncertainty’ by failing to abide by the court’s judgment. It has been revealed in recent months that hospitals are still allowing biological males to use female wards, changing rooms and toilets while more than half of local authorities say they are still waiting for the delayed EHRC guidance before updating their policies. Male prisoners are still being held in women’s jails in defiance of the ruling while even HM Courts and Tribunals Service itself has not yet changed its rules on toilets. Some organisations including Girlguiding and the Women’s Institute have said they can no longer admit trans women members - but that they only took the decision on legal advice and with regret. By contrast governing bodies for many of the country’s most popular sports, including the Football Association, the England and Wales Cricket Board and England Netball announced they would ban those born male from playing against women within weeks of the ruling. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'Keir Starmer loves the law when it suits him, but when he doesn’t like the outcome he will not enforce it. A year after the Supreme Court made the position crystal clear, too many public bodies are still ignoring women’s rights, still undermining safeguarding, and still treating the law as a matter of ideology rather than duty.  'It’s a disgrace that there isn’t a single NHS trust that has lawful single-sex policies for staff or patients. It is madness that the prison service still places some men who identify as women in the female prison estate.' A Government spokesman said: ‘We have always been clear that we support the protection of single-sex spaces based on biological sex and that this ruling brings clarity for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges and sports clubs. ‘It is right and responsible that we carefully consider the draft Code and its implications for those required to follow it. Internal Civil Service guidance is currently under review and we will ensure that any guidance is consistent with the Code. ‘We have set out our expectation that service providers follow the law as clarified by the ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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