Rishi Sunak criticised over transgender remark as murdered Brianna Ghey's mother watches
Last week, Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe were sentenced to life for the “sadistic” murder of transgender teenager Brianna Ghey. Picture: Family handout/PA Wire
Rishi Sunak was criticised after attempting to mock Keir Starmer’s stance on “defining a woman” after the Commons had heard the mother of murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey was watching from the gallery.
The Labour leader condemned Mr Sunak's remark, with a chorus of opposition backbenchers calling out: “Shame.”
The exchange took place during the Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, as the leaders clashed over the government missing targets to reduce NHS waiting lists.
Mr Starmer said: “He says he stands by his commitments. He once insisted if he missed his promises, these are the words he used: ‘I am the Prime Minister,’ and then he said: ‘It is on me personally.’
“Today, we learn from his own officials that he is the blocker to any deal to end the doctors’ strikes and every time he is asked, he blames everyone else.
“So, what exactly did he mean when he said it is on him personally if he doesn’t meet his promise?”
Mr Sunak replied: “We are bringing the waiting lists down for the longest waiters and making progress, but it is a bit rich to hear about promises from someone who has broken every single promise he was elected on.
“I think I have counted almost 30 in the last year. Pensions, planning, peerages, public sector pay, tuition fees, childcare, second referendums, defining a woman – although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn.
“The list goes on, but the theme is the same: it is empty words, broken promises and absolutely no plan.”
Mr Starmer hit back, saying: “Of all the weeks to say that, when Brianna’s mother is in this chamber. Shame.
“Parading as a man of integrity when he’s got absolutely no responsibility.”
The Labour leader added: “I think the role of the prime minister is to ensure that every single citizen in this country feels safe and respected, it’s a shame that the prime minister doesn’t share that.”
Mr Starmer had opened the session by telling MPs: “This week the unwavering bravery of Brianna Ghey’s mother Esther has touched us all.
"As a father, I can’t even imagine the pain that she is going through and I am glad that she is with us in the gallery here today.”
Mr Sunak was asked to apologise to Brianna’s mother for his “insensitive comment”.
Speaking in the Commons, Labour MP Liz Twist said: “May I take the opportunity to ask the prime minister if he would consider apologising to Brianna Ghey’s mother for his insensitive comment.”
Mr Sunak did not directly respond to Ms Twist’s request.
Concluding Prime Minister’s Questions, he said: “If I could just say also to Brianna Ghey’s mother who is here, as I said earlier this week, what happened was an unspeakable and shocking tragedy.
“As I said earlier this week, in the face of that, for her mother to demonstrate the compassion and empathy that she did last weekend, I thought demonstrated the very best of humanity in the face of seeing the very worst of humanity.
“She deserves all our admiration and praise for that.”
Downing Street doubled down on the comments and insisted the joke was not transphobic.
Number 10 declined repeatedly to apologise for Mr Sunak’s language and said it was part of a “legitimate” criticism of Labour.
Mr Sunak’s press secretary said: “If you look back on what the Prime Minister was saying, there was a long list of u-turns that the leader of the opposition had been making.
“I don’t think those u-turns are a joke, it is quite serious changes in public policy. I think it is totally legitimate for the Prime Minister to point those out.”
This is not the first time Mr Sunak has attacked Labour over the issue of gender identity policies, which have been a frequent subject of debate in Westminster in recent years.
In his Tory conference speech last year, Mr Sunak told Conservative delegates in Manchester: “We shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be.
“They can’t – a man is a man and a woman is a woman.”
Last week, Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe were sentenced to life for the “sadistic” murder of Brianna.
The judge said the “exceptionally brutal” murder had elements of both sadism by Jenkinson and transphobic hate on the part of Ratcliffe.
Passing sentence Mrs Justice Yip told Ratcliffe: “I therefore find that you both took part in a brutal and planned murder, which was sadistic in nature and where a secondary motive was hostility towards Brianna because of her transgender identity.”
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Ghey said: “I don’t believe that someone who is so disturbed and obsessed with murder and torture would ever be able to be rehabilitated.
“I have moments where I feel sorry for them because they have also ruined their own lives, but I have to remember that they felt no empathy for Brianna when they left her bleeding to death after their premeditated and vicious attack, which was carried out not because Brianna had done anything wrong, but just because one hated trans people and the other thought it would be fun.”
Brianna’s father Peter Spooner said “no amount of time spent in prison will be enough for these monsters” as he branded his daughter’s killers “pure evil”.
Speaking after the pair were found guilty of murder in December, Brianna’s parents spoke through tears to remember their daughter and speak of their loss.
Brianna’s mother said she was her “precious child”.
“Brianna was larger than life,” she said. “She was funny, witty and fearless.
“We miss Brianna so much and our house feels empty without her laughter.”
Peter Spooner, Brianna’s father, said it “breaks” him daily to know he will never see his daughter again.
"It is impossible to put into words how the murder of my child has affected me,” he told reporters.
"I never stopped loving her and I never will. When she was little I remember the faces she would pull to make me laugh.
“The cheeky giggle, the funny dances, are engraved in my memory.
“I knew she was going to be a star and the amount of support she received from the followers on TikTok proved this.
“I was so proud of what she could do.”
- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.
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