LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced criticism Wednesday after seeking to mock the Labor leader's position on the definition of a woman, less than two minutes after lawmakers heard that the mother of a murdered transgender teen was in Parliament.
In response to a question from Keir Starmer, Sunak listed a series of issues that he said showed the Labor leader's shifts, ending with a sarcastic comment about his position on “the definition of women, although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn.”
His statement was intended to embarrass Starmer, who has been accused by Sunak's Conservatives of dithering over the issue of self-identification and who has pounced on his comment last year that “99.9% of women don't have a penis.”
Starmer, who welcomed Briana Guy's mother, Esther Guy, was visibly angry in response. He said the comments were inappropriate, and Sunak later admitted he was wrong.
“Of all the weeks I have to say that, when Brianna's mother is in this room. 'Shame,'” Starmer said. “Paradise as an honest man when he takes no responsibility at all.”
last friday, The two 16-year-old convicted murderers of Brianna A year ago, they were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 and 22 years.
The horrific murder shocked the nation. Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in broad daylight after being lured to a park in the town of Warrington in northwest England on February 11, 2023.
Brianna's mother has been widely praised for her generous response, calling on the families of the convicted couple to show some compassion and compassion. In an interview on Sunday with the BBC, she said she would be open to meeting the mother of Scarlett Jenkinson, one of Brianna's killers who, according to the judge in the case, was the ringleader.
Esther Guy is campaigning for restrictions on what children under 16 can access on their mobile phones and for wider use of mindfulness in schools, as a way to help teachers and children look after their mental health.
At the end of Sunak's weekly – and often raucous – grilling in Parliament, he acknowledged the presence of Brianna's mother in the room.
“If I could also say to Brianna Guy's mother who is here, as I said earlier this week, what happened was a horrific, unspeakable tragedy,” he added. “As I said earlier this week, in the face of that, for her mother to show the compassion and empathy that she showed last weekend, I thought she showed the best of humanity in the face of seeing the worst of humanity.
“She deserves all our admiration and praise for that,” he added.
Stonewall, a group that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, urged Sunak to apologize for his “cheap, callous and crude” use of trans people as a “punch line”.
The stock exchange has raised concerns about the level of debate in the run-up to the general election later this year.
With his Conservative Party trailing the main opposition Labor Party in opinion polls, Sunak has come under pressure from some lawmakers from his own party to put so-called “culture war” issues on the agenda, in an attempt to create dividing lines that could exacerbate the problem. You begin to dominate the public debate.
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