Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stoked controversy on transgender rights after he made “Man is a man, Woman is a woman” comments during his Conservative party conference speech on Wednesday.
Sunak, announcing major changes to the high-speed rail project, education system and increasing the legal age for smoking, made his speech even more unpopular with his comments on transgender rights. “We shouldn’t be bullied into thinking people can be any sex they want to be. A man is a man and a woman is a woman and that’s just common sense,” The Guardian reported quoting Sunak.
Signalling that he is ready to take hard decisions, Sunak made the comments as he was speaking about his proposed changes to the education system. Talking about transgender rights, Sunak said virtual signalling has replaced common sense.
“Your values and your priorities should be expressed in everything the public sector does. Too often, it is not. In too many parts of our permanent state, virtue signalling has replaced common sense. It shouldn’t be controversial for parents to know what their children are being taught in school about relationships, patients should know when hospitals are talking about men or women,” Sunak said.
The British Prime Minister added, “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. That’s just common sense.”
Sunak is already facing opposition within the party for scrapping the Machester line of high-speed rail project. Sunak proposed a major change to secondary school qualifications, to create a “Advanced British Standard, bringing together A-levels and T-levels, which will involve students covering more subjects. However, it will take more than a decade to introduce,” The Guardian reported.
The conference also marked Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty’s debut on a political stage. Introducing her husband before the speech Murty said, “Rishi cares deeply about this party and the values that underpin it. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the support you’ve already shown him. Please know, that Rishi is working hard to do the right thing for the country, not just for now, but for the long term.”
