World reacts to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s transgender bombshell

Rishi Sunak received vigorous support from conservatives but also a furious response from the transgender community after his speech went viral.

Rishi Sunak took on the transgender debate at a speech in Manchester also attended by his wife. Pictures: AFP

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sparked an intense reaction after declaring “we shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be” during a speech at his first party conference as leader.

Mr Sunak — who is looking to rally his ruling Conservatives for next year’s general election — is trying to position his party as a force for change, even after 13 years in power and increasing disaffection among voters.

In a speech lasting more than an hour to the party’s annual conference, he promised that the Tories — on course for defeat at the next vote, according to opinion polls — would break the mould of the last 30 years of government.

“We will be bold, we will be radical. We will face resistance and we will meet it,” he told delegates.

Many will see his comments on the transgender debate as the most bold and radical of his speech.

“It shouldn’t be controversial for parents to know what their children are being taught in school about relationships,” he said.

“Patients should know when hospitals are talking about men or women. We shouldn’t get bullied.”

At this point, Mr Sunak was interrupted by loud applause from Tory delegates including his Cabinet colleagues.

When it died down, he continued: “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.”

The conference again erupted into applause and cheers, with some in the audience whistling.

But there was also widespread concern among the transgender community and advocates online.

“Outrageous hate, which is going to encourage bullying and physical attacks by thugs, utterly vile,” transgender British newsreader India Willoughby wrote.

“If a single trans person gets attacked or murdered after today then Rishi Sunak should be arrested and charged,” added another.

“Never had so many DMs from worried UK trans people and their families,” wrote a third.

“The important thing following Rishi Sunak’s hate speech: IT IS NOT LAW. Nothing has changed. Trans are still legally recognised and protected. Yes it’s scary – but they do not have time to change rules/law.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during the final day of the Conservative Party Conference. Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images

Mr Sunak earned a much-needed standing ovation from Conservative diehards gathered in Manchester, as he used his first party conference as their leader to pitch his vision for Britain’s long-term future.

With next year’s expected general election high on attendees’ minds, Mr Sunak was intent on delivering the message that he represents change — despite more than a decade of Tory governments.

And the message seemed to land well with members who last summer picked his short-lived predecessor Liz Truss over him to be leader, only for her premiership to implode weeks later.

“I came here from last year as a Truss-ite, I probably up ‘til yesterday … would’ve voted for Truss again, but he did well,” said Conor Boyle, 20, a student Tory from Northern Ireland.

“I actually thought it was brilliant,” he added of Sunak’s hour-long keynote address, describing him as “a bit of a breath of fresh air”.

Ahead of the 43-year-old former finance minister’s speech, a slick big-screen video montage themed around “change” and how Mr Sunak is “different” left onlookers in little doubt about his imminent message.

His Indian-born wife Akshata Murty then arrived at the podium as a self-proclaimed “surprise addition” to the speakers’ line-up, insisting her husband had “no idea what I’m going to say”.

Delivering personalised remarks about their 14-year marriage without a teleprompter, she nonetheless stuck to the script that Mr Sunak is a new kind of leader willing to take tough, unpopular decisions.

“Sometimes when the going gets tough, I remind Rishi that he’s fighting for his values, that he’s fighting for this party’s values, knowing that it’s a hard road ahead,” she said.

Large banners on the hall walls in front of her hammered home the intended message, bearing the conference’s slogan: “long-term decisions for a brighter future”.

Bold plan to phase out smoking in UK

Mr Sunak also vowed to introduce legislation to reduce tobacco use, saying there was “no safe level of smoking”.

“I propose that in future, we raise the smoking age by one year every year. That means a 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette, and that they and their generation can grow up smoke-free,” Mr Sunak told his Conservative Party’s annual conference.

His proposal would make it an offence for anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 to be sold tobacco products — effectively raising the smoking age by a year each year until it applies to the whole population, a statement by Mr Sunak’s Downing Street office said.

“This has the potential to phase out smoking in young people almost completely as early as 2040,” it added, calling the move “historic”.

The statement said the government also planned to bring in measures to restrict young people vaping.

This could include restricting disposable vapes and regulating flavours and packaging to reduce their appeal to children, Downing Street added.

‘Right notes’

After his hour-long address, which combined major policy announcements with attacks on the Labour opposition — the overwhelmingly male, suited audience rose for several minutes of applause and cheering.

The party has been wracked by internal divisions in recent years, and saw the start of the annual gathering overshadowed by splits over policy and potential future leaders jockeying for the spotlight.

Akshata Murty, wife of Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, addresses delegates before his speech. Picture: Oli Scarff/AFP

But emerging from the packed hall, opinion appeared positive. “I thought it was a brilliant speech. Two years ago I was voting labour, so I’m a convert,” Eileen Gallagher, 63, told AFP.

“I think he hit all the right notes and I think it’s ambitious and he’s right to concentrate on the long-term.

“I think everyone’s really buoyed by it.” Jenny Johnson, a Tory councillor in northwest England, echoed the enthusiasm. “I’m really surprised at some of those announcements, to be honest, but pleasantly so,” she said of the plans detailed, which include curtailing a costly high-speed rail line.

“I think his idea that we are ready for change — we’ve been in government for 13 years now, that’s a long time — and the fact that he wants to bring about those changes now, it’s very positive.”

The Conservatives have lagged behind the main Labour opposition by wide margins for all of Mr Sunak’s nearly year-long tenure, prompting him in recent weeks to try to make their differences clearer.

“He set out the stark choice the voters face at the next election, some clear dividing lines between the Conservative Party and the Labour Party,” MP Mark Jenkinson told AFP as he exited the auditorium.

The lawmaker dismissed critics who say Sunak cannot represent change with his Tories in power since 2010.

“So much has happened over the last few years, that it has changed the fundamental way that government works,” he insisted.

“When the facts change, we’ve got to change our approach.” For Mr Johnson, Mr Sunak’s speech had swayed her opinion on the party’s fortunes. “We’re going to win the next election. I think the polls are totally wrong,” she said.

“People do need to hear this common sense, pragmatic, courageous conservatism, which comes through today, so I’m personally very impressed by what he said.”

– with AFP