Six London boroughs vow to defy new single-sex guidance

The leaders of six London boroughs have pledged to defy new national guidance on single-sex spaces, declaring they will continue to provide trans-inclusive services for their residents. The councils-Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, and Waltham Forest-issued a joint open letter to Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson on August 5, the day the Equality and Human Rights Commission's updated code of practice came into force.

The new guidance, which follows a landmark Supreme Court ruling in April 2025, states that access to single-sex spaces such as toilets, changing rooms, and domestic violence refuges should be determined by a person's biological sex as assigned at birth, not their gender identity. The government has stated the code provides clarity for service providers and is intended to uphold single-sex spaces while protecting trans people from discrimination.

In their letter, the council leaders argued the guidance is harmful and will increase the exclusion of trans, non-binary, and intersex people from public life. They stated it "will feel like an attack" on their communities and vowed not to place staff in the position of policing access to...