A  Labour minister has been grilled by Sky News anchor Wilfred Frost over the Prime Minister’s apparent change of views over what a woman is following a Supreme Court ruling last week. Minister for crime, policing and fire, Dame Diana Johnson, was asked whether Sir Keir Starmer, should apologise over what the Conservatives have denounced as a U-turn over his view as to what a woman is. She said: “Well, what I know about the Prime Minister is that he always follows the rule of law, and I think the Supreme Court, with their decision last week, set out very clearly what the Equality Act of 2010 actually means in terms of biological sex, not legal sex.

“And I think that’s really helpful, and I think it deals with the fact there’s been this confusion over the last few years about this issue.” Host Wilfred Frost then told Dame Diana that Sir Kier had contributed to that confusion. The minister admittied that a statement made by him in 2022 whereby he stated “trans women are women, and that’s not just my view, that is actually the law” was incorrect. She said: “Well it is wrong, actually, because the Supreme Court said very clearly last week that it is around biological sex.

“So we know that a woman is an adult female, adult human female. That’s what the law says, it’s biological sex, and that clarity, I think, is helpful to everybody.

“The NHS, policing, schools and education, we all need to have that clarity now.” Equally, she added, we do need to be “respectful” to trans individuals and make sure they are “supported”.

When Frost suggested again that the PM had contributed towards confusion, Dame Diana retorted: “Can I just say, we’ve only been in power since last July. For 14 years, the previous government did not take steps to actually deal with that confusion.

“So I do think it is a little rich of the current Leader of the Opposition to be pointing the finger at the Prime Minister, who has been very clear now what the law says.”

Frost suggested that Kemi Badenoch had been clear on the issue previously, so it is not rich of her personally.

“She was a meber of the previous government, though,” the Labour minister said. “A senior member for many years.”

The Sky News anchor then told Dame Diana that if he had previous Tory leaders in the studio, he would be pressing them on the issue, but they were not.

He asked Dame Diana: “Where is the leadership? Where is coming out in front, owning up to your mistakes and apoligising to the damage that you might have done?”

“Well, I think we’re now very clear what the law says.” Mr Frost interjected: “Now?”

Dame Diana highlighted that the previous Labour government brought in the 2010 Equality Act in the first place.

“What I’m really interested in now is how we move forward,” she added, adding that Labour has “always been clear about protecting women only spaces”.

Frost pushed again on the idea that Sir Keir should say sorry, and asked if Rosie Duffield, who resigned as a Labour MP over her stance on sex and gender, should be apologised to.

“As a woman,” Dame Diana said, “I’m not particularly interested in what men think or feel about issues around women’s rights. What I’m interested in is the law.”

“He’s the Prime Minister, Frost retorted, “whether he is a man or a woman is irrelevant.”

Dame Diana then denied suggesting that Sir Keir’s view should be discounted because of his sex, again referring to the “law of the land” and prior “confusion”.

“I think the Prime Minister can speak for himself,” she added. “He doesn’t need me to speak for him and he’s been very clear that he accepts the law now as the Supreme Court set out last week.”

Sir Keir Starmer said yesterday when he was asked what he thinks a woman is: “I think the Supreme Court has answered that question.”

On whether that means he does not believe a transgender woman is a woman, he told ITV West Country: “A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear.

“I actually welcome the judgment because I think it gives real clarity.

“It allows those that have got to draw up guidance to be really clear about what that guidance should say.

“So I think it’s important that we see the judgment for what it is.

“It’s a welcome step forward.

“It’s real clarity in an area where we did need clarity, I’m pleased it’s come about.

“We need to move and make sure that we now ensure that all guidance is in the right place according to that judgment.”