Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to hold a private meeting with the family of Henry Nowak in Downing Street this afternoon, Downing Street has confirmed. The meeting comes as Starmer accused Elon Musk of “interfering in our politics” and attempting to create division, marking a significant toughening of government language towards the X owner.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch met Henry Nowak’s father, mother and stepmother earlier today. After the meeting, she said they agreed with her about the need “to bring common sense back”. Reform UK has raised £9 million in private donations in the first quarter of the year, largely from cryptocurrency billionaires, far exceeding other parties.
In a separate development, new guidance on single-sex spaces has been labelled “unworkable and unjust” by Labour MP Sarah Owen, chair of the Commons women and equalities committee. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s draft code of practice, published in May, confirms that single-sex spaces must be based on biological sex, following a Supreme Court ruling last year.
Owen highlighted inconsistencies in the code, questioning how individuals can challenge someone without causing harm or embarrassment. She also described a constituent who must walk considerable distances to use a toilet outside her workplace, and an 83-year-old trans woman who discharged herself from hospital for fear of being placed on a men’s ward.
Education minister Olivia Bailey responded that trans people’s safety is protected in law and that the government has strengthened hate crime laws. Bailey stressed that trans people should not be left without facilities, and the code provides examples of how services can be inclusive.
