KEIR Starmer has said he is not in favour of "gender ideology" being taught in schools.
During interviews with broadcasters on Monday morning, Starmer was asked if he would scrap the proposed ban on teaching young people in England about transgender identity in school.
“No, I’m not in favour of ideology being taught in our schools on gender," he said.
“I think we need to complete the consultation process and make sure that there is guidance that is age appropriate.
"That is helpful for teachers and has at its heart the safeguarding of children.”
Earlier this year the UK Government published draft guidance which said schools in England "should not teach about the concept of gender identity", which is now subject to a public consultation.
It added that using materials which "present contested views as fact - including the view that gender is a spectrum" should be avoided.
While the guidance states that secondary school pupils would be permitted to learn about gender reassignment, it's unclear how this would be done without informing children about the concept of transgender identity.
It comes after author and prominent gender critical campaigner JK Rowling accused Labour of "abandoning" women with concerns about transgender rights.
While in 2020 Rowling stated that she respected "every trans person's right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them", in recent years her position on the subject appears to have hardened.
Indeed, in a recent tweet about the election of a transgender women to Bristol City Council, Rowling said: "Crossdressing men aren't female. He calls himself trans precisely because he's male".
Over the weekend she wrote in The Times: "As long as Labour remains dismissive and often offensive towards women fighting to retain the rights their foremothers thought were won for all time, I'll struggle to support them."
The Harry Potter author donated £1 million to the Labour Party in 2008.
Labour candidate Wes Streeting said he was "pretty depressed" about Rowling's comments concerning his party.
He said: “I have a lot of respect for JK Rowling both in terms of what she’s done for children and literacy but also the work that she’s done campaigning for women and in particular violence against women and girls.
“I think that we’ve clearly got more work to do to rebuild trust with people that we’ve lost on this issue.”
The shadow health secretary added: “I think we can find a way through that both treats trans people with the dignity and respect that they deserve, and also treats women with the respect that they deserve, particularly protecting women’s spaces, women’s voices, and right to speak up.
“So, when women like JK Rowling do speak up, I think it’s important we engage seriously with the arguments that she’s making, with the concerns that she has.
“And also we listen to what trans people are saying about the everyday injustices and indignities that they’re experiencing too, whether that’s hate crime or poor provision in public services.”
In 2021, Scotland became the first country in the world to rollout LGBT-inclusive education across the curriculum.
It seeks to educate school children about LGBT+ identities and issues in an age-appropriate manner with the aim of eradicating homophobic and transphobic bullying.
However, Starmer's comments appear to be in opposition to the mention of transgender identity in schools as practiced in Scotland.
The National has approached Scottish Labour to ask whether the party continues to support LGBT-inclusive education in Scottish schools.
