Keir Starmer insists Labour has finally developed a “very clear position” on women’s rights ahead of the next election, having spent the better part of two years prevaricating on what is a woman and claiming he’s committed to “introduc[ing] self declaration for trans people”. Now, having watched Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP implode over the same topic, Starmer has seemingly been reprogrammed into a gender-critical feminist. He tells the Express today:

“What we learned from Scotland is that you don’t make changes that you can’t bring the public along with, which is why in Scotland they should reset the situation. I think there are lessons from Scotland and the primary lesson is that changes which don’t carry public confidence are almost certainly not the right changes… I do feel very strongly about this, which is we have made real and significant progress when it comes to women’s rights and we must not roll back or retreat from any of that, and one of them is safe spaces… we cannot roll back on that.”

So having promised to make it easier for people to switch gender just two years ago – in a similar mould to Sturgeon this year – Sir Keir has U-turned now the prevailing winds blow in a different direction. Who’d have thought? He’s also in front of the cameras later today to set out Labour’s plan to tackle crime… on the same day it’s revealed violent offenders carried out more crimes in Britain after he campaigned for them to stay.