By Letters
I tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons yesterday to express my deep dismay at the conduct of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland in the wake of the Supreme Court’s clear and authoritative ruling on the meaning of the terms ‘woman’ and ‘man’ in law. The Supreme Court could not have been clearer: biological sex—not self-declared gender identity—is what determines whether someone is legally considered a man or a woman for the purposes of the Equality Act. This is not a matter of personal opinion or political fashion; it is settled law. And yet, astonishingly, we now see the Equality Commission exploring ways to circumvent that ruling—an action which, in my view, is legally indefensible and ideologically driven. The commission is meant to be a neutral enforcer of equality law, not a cheerleader for trans activism. Its role is to uphold the law as it stands, not to reinterpret it in line with fringe ideology. When a statutory body—funded by the public purse—starts behaving as if it is above the UK’s highest court, then democracy and legal certainty are both placed in jeopardy. There must be no ambiguity: the Supreme Court ruling applies fully in Northern Ireland. Any suggestion otherwise is an affront to the rule of law and to the constitutional order of the United Kingdom. Devolution does not give license to ignore the UK’s apex court or to rewrite legislation by stealth. This is why I have tabled this motion—to send a clear message to the Equality Commission and to any other public body tempted to place ideology above legality: the law is not optional. Biological reality cannot be wished away. And the rights of women—based on sex, not gender identity—must be defended without compromise. My Early Day Motion reads: ​ NI Equality Commission and Supreme Court ruling, Jim Allister (North Antrim) That this House expresses dismay at the attempts by the Equality Commission in Northern Ireland to find ways to circumvent the very clear ruling by the Supreme Court on biological sex being the determinant in regard to the terms ‘woman’ and ‘man’; regrets that the Commission has allowed itself to become a vehicle for pro-trans ideology; and repudiates the suggestion that the Supreme Court ruling might not be followed in Northern Ireland Jim Allister KC MP, North Antrim