Last Friday, during a session devoted to Private Members' Bills, MPs should have debated Liz Truss' Health and Equality Acts (Amendment) Bill which would have defined clearly in law that a woman or a man was defined by their sex at birth. However, Labour MPs spent many hours talking about their pets in a deliberate filibuster designed to stop the Bill from being debated.
Richard Fuller MP, who was in the chamber commented:
Last Friday, Labour MPs deliberately talked out discussion of this Private Members' Bill. Whatever one thinks about this issue, it is one that is having an effect on society and Parliament should be able to debate it freely.
I was in Parliament on Friday and it was blatantly clear that Labour MPs objected in principle to this Bill being discussed. The Labour Party is very divided on this issue and has particular difficulty agreeing on what is a woman.
The Labour Party has tried to “spin” that on Friday it was Conservatives that tried to talk out the Bill. That is a straightforward lie.
I wouldn’t ordinarily post on Commons procedure but I did make a point on this in the Commons on Friday which can be watched here: https://youtu.be/9shqLlkQ2cc?si=22LRkeZKslxkSUfL
The Bill can be read here: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3560/publications
