PM Rishi Sunak on rapist case: Biological sex 'really matters'
- Published
Rishi Sunak was interviewed by Piers Morgan in 10 Downing Street to mark 100 days in office
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said biological sex "really matters" after he was asked about the case of a rapist who was sent to a women's prison.
Isla Bryson was convicted of attacking two women while known as a man called Adam Graham.
One of the victims later said she was sure Bryson was pretending to be trans to "make life easier".
And First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was sure Bryson was "almost certainly" faking being trans.
Bryson was moved from Cornton Vale to the male prison estate after a public outcry.
The case was put to the prime minister in an interview with Piers Morgan for Talk TV to mark Mr Sunak's first 100 days in office.
Morgan said the case showed the problem of "limitless gender self-identity".
Mr Sunak said it demonstrated "some of the challenges", but added "we must and should have enormous compassion and tolerance and understanding for those who are questioning their gender and identity".
"But we have to recognise the challenges that that poses, particularly for women's safety," the prime minister said.
"For me, whether it's sex, whether it's women's spaces, whether it's prisons, biological sex really matters."
Bryson will be sentenced later this month after being convicted of raping two women
During the interview, Morgan asked Mr Sunak for his definition of a woman.
The prime minister replied "adult human female", but suggested the TV presenter was actually asking about society's handling of people questioning their gender identity.
Scottish government legislation aimed at allowing people to self-identify their legal sex has been blocked by the UK government over its potential impact on equalities laws, including on female-only spaces.
The move was described as a "full-frontal assault" on the Scottish Parliament by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The first minister has also accused some opponents of the gender reforms of being transphobic and "deeply misogynist, often homophobic, possibly some of them racist as well".
On Thursday, Ms Sturgeon refused to say whether she regarded Bryson as being female after being asked by Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross.
Watch: SNP minister questioned on whether Isla Bryson is "a man or woman"
Ms Sturgeon said she did not have enough information to say whether Bryson's claim to be a woman was valid or not.
She added: "What is relevant is that the individual is a rapist. That is how the individual should be described".
However, the first minister later agreed that Bryson was "almost certainly" faking being trans.
Justice Secretary Keith Brown told BBC Scotland earlier this week that "if somebody presents as a trans person then we accept that on face value."
Bryson was found guilty last month of raping two women in 2016 and 2019 while known as a man called Adam Graham.
She announced after being charged with the two rapes that she now identified as female, with the court hearing that she had started the process of gender re-assignment.
Bryson was initially taken to a unit at Cornton Vale in Stirling after being found guilty, before being moved to a male wing at HMP Edinburgh a few days later following a public outcry.
She had been able to enrol on a beauty course at Ayrshire College, where she was known as Annie, while awaiting trial and remained there for three months before being asked to leave.
TV presenter India Willoughby has claimed that the current debate around trans issues was being driven by transphobia
Her classmates were almost exclusively female and much younger than Bryson, and were not aware of the rape allegations.
One former classmate said she felt "violated" after learning of the crimes Bryson had committed.
Scottish government officials have been working colleges and universities with the aim of producing guidance to address concerns about alleged sex offenders enrolling on courses while awaiting trial.
On Sunday a "pause" was placed on the transfer to women's jails of trans inmates with convictions for violence.
It followed reports that another transgender woman, Tiffany Scott - who was convicted of stalking a 13-year-old girl before her transition and has a history of violence - was due to be moved to a female prison.
The first minister is challenged to say whether she believes a double rapist is a woman
Loose Women host India Willoughby - who was Britain's first transgender national television newsreader - told the BBC's Question Time that the "toxic" debate around transgender issues was being driven by "a lot of misinformation by a media that is completely transphobic".
She claimed that stories of transgender prisoners being placed in spaces with other women were "not true", adding: "There is categorically no way somebody who has committed rape would be moved into the women's estate."
She said: "There are bad apples in all walks of life. There are bad Protestants, there are bad Catholics, bad lesbians, or bad gays, and yes, there are bad trans people.
"And all of those people, if they do something criminal and are found guilty, they deserve to go to jail and to be punished in a jail that is suitable for them and where everybody else is safe."