A female Labour MP has expressed her fears about being "challenged" in women's toilets after last week's Supreme Court ruling impacting trans women. Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow & Gateshead East, raised her concerns during a Lesbian Visibility Week debate in Westminster Hall. The hard-left Labour MP described the Supreme Court ruling as a "step backwards" after it decided that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the 2010 Equality Act "refer to a biological woman and biological sex".

Osborne, who identifies as a lesbian, also opened up on how the court's decision could have a "huge impact" on her life. Osborne, who identifies as a lesbian, said the court decision would have a 'huge impact' on her life PA She emphasised the need for empathy in supporting people to live their own lives. "Of course, we need to protect single-sex spaces in the very limited situations that they are needed — which is, and was already, covered in legislation and has never been disputed — while maintaining clear protections for trans people, especially trans women," she said.

Osborne who is affiliated with the Socialist Campaign Group, expressed concern about attacks on "an already marginalised community" and using law to "increase discrimination, not prevent it". Labour Minister Dame Nia Griffith responded during the debate, saying: "To be seen, known and accepted for who we are truly is not just a privilege, it's a fundamental human need." Protests against Supreme Court Ruling GETTY