Labour has put plans to simplify the legal process for gender recognition on hold, The Times has learned, as the party shifts focus in response to Reform UK’s rising popularity.
During last summer’s election, Labour pledged to replace the current panel of doctors and lawyers who approve gender recognition certificates with a registrar system, aiming to make the process less “undignified.” However, critics argued this would amount to “self-ID by the back door”.
Multiple sources now indicate that the reforms are no longer a priority, with expectations that they will quietly be dropped. Ministers are reluctant to reopen debates on gender recognition while already facing political challenges on issues such as winter fuel payments, the economy, and inheritance tax.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has taken a firmer stance on biological sex following past difficulties defining a woman. Health Secretary Wes Streeting recently criticised NHS decisions to remove the word “woman” from medical documents and has placed an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for children.
A party insider noted that pushing ahead with gender reforms could provide Nigel Farage’s Reform UK with an easy political target, particularly after a recent poll showed Reform overtaking Labour for the first time. Others suggested that shelving the plans could help maintain relations with the United States, as President Donald Trump has introduced executive orders rolling back transgender protections.
Labour’s proposed changes included allowing a single doctor, rather than two, to sign off on a gender recognition certificate and removing the requirement for individuals to live as their preferred gender for two years before obtaining legal recognition. These measures would have required amendments to the Gender Recognition Act, a move Labour now appears unwilling to pursue publicly.
Reform UK claimed on Sunday that its membership had surpassed 200,000, although this figure remains disputed. The party has set its sights on overtaking Labour’s 300,000-strong membership base.
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters, welcomed the shelving of Labour’s gender recognition reforms, saying:
“If this news is correct, we welcome it with great relief. We’ve long argued that any change that makes it easier to obtain gender recognition certificates risks introducing self-ID through the back door.
The next step, once the Supreme Court rules on the For Women Scotland case regarding the definition of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act, is for Labour to fulfill its manifesto pledge to protect single-sex spaces.”
Streeting, writing in The Sun on Sunday, said the NHS should focus on “back to basics” healthcare rather than “daft nonsense,” criticising instances where equality initiatives have, in his view, gone too far.
