It’s almost poetic. Keir Starmer, former human rights advisor, current Labour leader, Prime Minister, and part-time fence-sitter, has finally mastered the ancient political art of saying everything while meaning nothing. This week, in the fallout from the UK Supreme Court’s chilling ruling on sex-based rights, Starmer dipped his toe in the toxic puddle of ‘gender panic’ with the delicacy of a man who knows full well he’s in legal quicksand.
The sentence in question? “trans women should use male toilets” Not must. Not will. Just should. A single modal verb, but a galaxy of cowardice.
Because here’s the thing, Starmer knows. He knows that saying trans women must be excluded from women’s spaces is not only factually inaccurate but legally dicey, especially in the wake of a ruling that now lets anti-trans institutions reinterpret the word “sex” however they fancy. He’s clinging to that “should” like a lifeboat, hedging his bets in case the courts — or the voters — come calling.
Meanwhile, the EHRC, having long abandoned any pretence of impartiality, is treating the Supreme Court’s judgment as a blank cheque for discrimination. They’ve been itching to rewrite the Equality Act in the image of the Daily Mail comments section, and now they smell blood. Starmer, for all his performative concern, is letting it happen on his watch. Labour’s silence is not neutrality, it’s complicity in slow-motion.
Let’s be clear: this ruling isn’t just some niche legal technicality. It’s the cornerstone of a coordinated attack on trans rights, green-lit by a judiciary that’s growing disturbingly comfortable with the idea of legislating identity. The goal? To make trans lives unliveable, slowly, politely, and in compliance with “due process.”
And Keir? He’s too busy polishing his credibility with swing voters to challenge it. A man who once stood up for basic rights now retreats behind semantics, hoping that saying “should” instead of “must” will let him straddle the line between legal responsibility and tabloid approval.
It’s the kind of moral gymnastics that would make Suella Braverman blush.
So no, this isn’t about policy nuance or party discipline. It’s about a Labour leader more afraid of bad headlines than bad laws. And if he thinks trans people are going to quietly take the hint and sit at the back of the political bus, he’s in for a shock.
Because we will remember who stood with us when it mattered, and who buried their principles in a sentence.