Equalities watchdog chairwoman urges ‘common sense’ policy on single-sex spaces

Britain’s rights watchdog chair Mary-Ann Stephenson said there should be a common sense approach to the new guidance (Stefan Rousseau/PA) - (PA Wire)

The head of Britain’s rights watchdog has called for a “common sense approach” to toilet provision as newly-published guidance confirmed single-sex services must be on the basis of biological sex.

The updated guidance has been published more than a year after a landmark Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 which said the words “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.