Rishi Sunak ‘keen’ to meet Brianna Ghey’s family but no apology in sight for trans jibe

British prime minister Rishi Sunak is facing calls to apologise over a transgender jibe (Victoria Jones/PA)

Rishi Sunak is “very keen” to meet murdered teenager Brianna Ghey’s family, a UK government minister has said, but there is no sign of Mr Sunak heeding her father’s call for an apology over a transgender joke.

Brianna’s father, Peter Spooner, said Mr Sunak should say sorry for the “degrading” and “dehumanising” remark made during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Mr Sunak had accused Keir Starmer of having difficulty in “defining a woman” during an attack on Labour party U-turns.

Peter Spooner, Brianna Ghey’s father, said he was ‘shocked’ by the Prime Minister’s ‘degrading’ comments (Peter Byrne/PA)

But with the mother of Brianna, who was transgender, visiting Parliament, his comment prompted fierce criticism from across the political spectrum.

Policing minister Chris Philp on Thursday defended Mr Sunak's jibe, telling BBC Breakfast: “The prime minister made no reference at all to any individual trans people.

“It was Keir Starmer who introduced that. The Prime Minister was making a point about Labour’s very numerous flip-flops.”

Asked about Mr Spooner’s request for an apology, Mr Philp said he was “very sad” to hear his comments, but suggested people “should actually listen” to the exchange in the House of Commons.

Pressed on whether he was arguing Brianna’s father had misunderstood Mr Sunak’s remark, Mr Philp said: “I have got every respect for, obviously, the views and feelings of a bereaved father.”

Murdered teenager Brianna Ghey (Cheshire Police/PA)

He said Mr Sunak “would be very happy” to meet Brianna’s family, and that Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan wanted to speak to Ms Ghey about online safety.

Ms Ghey has been invited to a meeting, though it is not yet confirmed whether or when it will take place.

Other government ministers have also played down Mr Sunak’s language, while Downing Street has insisted it was not transphobic but part of “totally legitimate” criticism of Labour.

It 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.”

Brianna’s mother had been in Westminster during PMQs with her local MP in Warrington, Charlotte Nichols, as she campaigns for mindfulness lessons to be taught in schools following the killing of her daughter.

Brianna was stabbed to death by teenagers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in a Cheshire park last February.

During their sentencing earlier this month, the judge said the “exceptionally brutal” murder had elements of both sadism on the part of Jenkinson and transphobic hate on the part of Ratcliffe.

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