The Liberal Democrats are facing renewed controversy over transgender rights following remarks by party leader Sir Ed Davey, who stated he would vote in favor of a motion to review protections for women-only spaces. The motion, slated for a party conference vote, seeks to challenge guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) concerning gender and single-sex spaces.
The EHRC's code, implemented last month, dictates that single-sex facilities such as toilets, changing rooms, hospital wards, and refuges should be designated based on a person's birth sex rather than their affirmed gender. This guidance follows a Supreme Court ruling in 2025.
However, a motion put forward by an LGBT Liberal Democrat activist proposes rolling back this guidance. It calls for a new code that is "inclusive, workable and ensures everybody can safely access public facilities and providers are protected from legal risk." The motion's proponents argue the current EHRC guidance is "discriminatory and unworkable."
Sir Ed confirmed his support for the motion in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, stating, "I do – I'll be voting for it if I'm in the hall." He explained that the party is responding to feedback from businesses that find the guidance unclear and unhelpful. "The Supreme Court created something that we didn't expect. We've been working out how to make sure it's implemented properly and we've been waiting for this guidance – it's taken a long time. And we think, talking to businesses, they don't think it's clear enough or helpful enough. So we're responding to what other people are saying," he said.
His stance has drawn criticism from women's rights campaigners. Dr. Zoe Hollowood, chair of the group Liberal Voice for Women, expressed concern that Davey's support signals an abandonment of the party's 2024 manifesto commitment to uphold the Equality Act. "What women will take from his support for the motion is that Ed does not care about our rights and is wholly unwilling to fight for them," Hollowood stated, describing the motion as a "Trojan horse for removing women’s rights to single-sex spaces."
Hollowood contested Davey's assertion that the guidance is unclear, arguing that its clarity is precisely the issue for organizations seeking to permit males into female-only spaces. "The issue is not that the guidance is unclear, it is very clear, the issue is that organisations who want loopholes to allow some males into female spaces cannot find them," she said.
The motion was introduced by Artie Khovanov, described as a Cambridge graduate and former Lib Dem council candidate. Khovanov, who currently serves as policy officer for the LGBT Lib Dems, previously called the EHRC guidance a "constitutional outrage." His proposal also advocates for a cross-party review into how the law can better protect transgender rights and suggests that Parliament's Women and Equalities Committee should have veto power over the selection of the EHRC's chair.