EHRC concludes regulatory action on single-sex spaces review

"Rishi Sunak's government called for the EHRC to analyse examples of policies or guidance that allow trans people to use single-sex facilities, such as toilets or changing rooms, that are consistent with their gender identity. It completed the review in August 2025, saying that policies which weren't trans-exclusionary had 'misrepresented' the 2010 Equality Act, arguing that the legislation did not give the trans community a 'legal right' to access gender-specific facilities."

"Midway through the policy review, the UK Supreme Court ruled on the FWS v Scottish Ministers case, determining that Equality Act's definition of 'women' referred to biological sex only. In response, the EHRC began a public consultation on proposed updates that called for the exclusion of trans people from single-sex facilities. The consultation lasted six weeks and received over 50,000 responses from the public."

"The EHRC's witch hunt of inclusive organisations brought shame on the institution, but it ending is only a small relief. The EHRC continues to approach the trans community as a group of peop"

The UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has ended its review of single-sex space policies commissioned by the previous Conservative government. The review, completed in August 2025, concluded that non-trans-exclusionary policies misrepresented the 2010 Equality Act and lacked legal basis. The EHRC subsequently compelled organizations to restrict single-sex spaces based on biological sex. A Supreme Court ruling on the FWS v Scottish Ministers case determined that 'women' under the Equality Act refers to biological sex only. Following this decision, the EHRC launched a public consultation on excluding trans people from single-sex facilities, receiving over 50,000 responses. The review officially closed on 19 February after all targeted organizations removed the questioned policies. Advocacy groups criticized the process as a 'witch hunt' despite welcoming its conclusion.

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