3rd Meeting – Self ID ‘DENIED’

GRARG met for the 3rd time remotely on 3rd September 2020. It was clear we remained in a limbo with no news on any Government announcement about reform to the GRA.

On 19th September the fog cleared a little with a leaked report in the Sunday Times that Self ID was NOT going to be part of any reform to the GRA, although the process of obtaining a certificate would be made less expensive.

What I thought was really significant was this comment:

More than 100,000 responses were received to the consultation. Insiders say 70% backed the idea that anyone should be allowed to self-identify. However, officials believe the results were skewed by responses generated by trans rights groups.

So we can see both the power of lobby groups but also their weakness – if you overplay your hand with weak cards, you may not achieve much.

Apparently Liz Truss will make a formal announcement on Wednesday September 23rd at 11.30 am. I really hope it will be to confirm the news already leaked.

With Self ID off the table – at least for now – the major and most serious threat to women’s rights is gone. But the conflation between sex and gender remains, and all the harm that this does. However, we can now focus on that issue as plank to reform to the GRA/EA without having to beat off the Self ID dragon – so that is very positive.

We will wait to see what announcement is made and arrange a fourth meeting to consider the implications of this.

Summary of the third meeting.

We discussed the spreadsheet of MP’s replies and considered tactics for moving forward. We agreed that those MP’s who self identified as ‘unsure’ were probably the best targets for further lobbying. Some of those who were ‘foes’ expressed truly incredible ideas; one male MP categorised those who supported women’s rights for single sex spaces as the same as those who propped up apartheid in South Africa. It’s clear we are unlikely to reach those!

A debate arose during and after the meeting about whether we should be publicising MP’s views at all, given the ‘consequences’ for expressing oneself as a ‘friend’. My view was that we should certainly make it clear who was friend/foe/unsure; MPs are public servants and the public have a right to know their position on a matter of such importance. Not only that, but GRARG was founded on the very important principle that these discussions must be held as publicly as possible; as an important weapon against the narrative that our views are in any way shameful or reprehensible. So we will continue to publish that information but as always, welcome feedback.

We agreed we should make further contact with other groups who are also collecting this information so that we get the best data possible to inform any further push to target the ‘unsures’, along with the need to consider other kinds of information dissemination, such as videos.

Updated spreadsheet.

On September 3rd we had 140 replies and 57% were in the ‘foe’ column. The Good News is, as of September 20 we had 164 replies and ‘foes were down to 48% at 79 MPS – ‘friend’ and ‘unsure’ roughly split at 44 and 41 each.

The first tranche are those who replied directly to the GRARG letter and the questions posed there.

FRIENDThangam DebbonaireBristol WestLAB
FRIEND Andrew Gwyenne Denton and ReddishLAB
FRIENDJohn Howell OBEHenley CON
FRIENDJames DalyBury Ramsbottom and TottinghamCON
FRIENDJonathan LordWokingCON
FRIEND Anthony BrowneSouth CambridgeshireCON
FRIEND Chris LoderWest DorsetCON
FRIENDSteve DoubleSt Austell and NewquayCON
FRIEND might be wobblyLucy FrazerSouth East CambridgeshireCON
UNSURESuzanne WebbStourbridgeCON
UNSURELucy AllanTelfordCON
UNSUREDavid JonesClwyd WestCON
FOEBarry GardinerBrent NorthLAB
FOETahir AliBirmingham, Hall GreenLAB
FOEElliott ColburnCarsharlton and WallingtonCON
REPLIES TO OTHER LETTERS including info from EMMA PALERMO. NB. Foes are recorded as ‘TWAW’ but this doesn’t necessarily mean they would answer this way if replying to the GRARG letter.
FRIENDS
FRIEND?Diane AbbottHackney North LAB
FRIEND Elaine SmithCentral ScotlandLAB
FRIEND Jenny MarraN.E.ScotlandLAB
FRIEND Johann LamontGlasgowLAB
FRIENDGareth BaconOrpingtonCON
FRIENDDuncan BakerNorth NorfolkCON
FRIENDGeoffrey CoxTorridge & West DevonCON
FRIENDDavid DaviesMonmouthCON
FRIENDJackie Doyle PriceThurrockCON
FRIENDIain Duncan SmithChingford and Woodford GreenCON
FRIENDLaura FarrisNewburyCON
FRIENDSally-Ann HartHastings and RyeCON
FRIENDDanny KreugerDevizesCON
FRIENDCaroline NoakesRomsey Southampton NCON
FRIENDMark Pritchardthe WrekinCON
FRIENDElizabeth TrussSW NorfolkCON
FRIEND Therese CoffeySuffolk CoastalCON
FRIEND Phillip DaviesShipleyCON
FRIEND Ben BradleyMansfieldCON
FRIENDJames HeappeyWellsCON
FRIEND Bob NeillBromley and ChislehurstCON
FRIEND Jeremy BalfourLothianCON
FRIENDPatricia GibsonN. AyreshireSNP
FRIENDJoanna CherryEd South WestSNP
FRIEND Joan McAlpineSouth ScotlandSNP
FRIENDAngus McNeilNa a-eileanan An LarSNP
FRIENDCarol MonaghanGlasgow NWSNP
FRIEND James DornanGlasgow CathcartSNP
FRIEND Ash DenhamEdinburgh EasternSNP
FRIEND Christine GrahameMidlothian South, Tweeddale & LauderdaleSNP
FRIEND Ruth MaguireCunninghame SouthSNP
FRIEND Ivan McKeeGlasgow ProvanSNP
FRIEND Andy WightmanLothianGREEN
FRIEND Helen Mary JonesMid and West WalesPLAID
FOE/TWAWDark red = worth lobbying
FOE/TWAWCat SmithLancaster and FleetwoodLAB
FOE/TWAWKarin SmythBristol SouthLAB
FOE/TWAWAlex SobelLeeds NorthwestLAB
FOE/TWAWKeir StarmerHolborn and St PancrasLAB
FOE/TWAWWes StreetingIlford NorthLAB
FOE/TWAWZarah SultanaCoventy SouthLAB
FOE/TWAWEmily ThornberryIslington S and FinsburyLAB
FOE/TWAWKarl TurnerKingston upon Hull EastLAB
FOE/TWAWCatherine WestHorney and Wood GrnLAB
FOE/TWAWMatt WesternWarwick and LeamingtonLAB
FOE/TWAWNadia WhittomeNottingham EastLAB
FOE/TWAWDaneil ZeicherCambridgeLAB
FOE/TWAWAngela EaglewallaseyLAB
FOE/TWAWTahir AliBirminghamLAB
FOE/TWAWRosena Allina KhanTootingLAB
FOE/TWAWFleur AndersonPutneyLAB
FOE/TWAWClive BettsSheffieldLAB
FOE/TWAWDawn ButlerBrent CentralLAB
FOE/TWAWIan ByrneLiverpool West DarbyLAB
FOE/TWAWDan CardenLiverpool WaltonLAB
FOE/TWAWRichard BurgonLeeds EastLAB
FOE/TWAWBambos CharalambousEnfield SouthLAB
FOE/TWAWStella CreaseyWalthamstowLAB
FOE/TWAWStephen DoughtyCardiff S and PenarthLAB
FOE/TWAWGill FurnissSheffield BrightsideLAB
FOE/TWAWMary GlindonNorth TynesideLAB
FOE/TWAWJeremy CorbynIs NorthLAB
FOE/TWAWKim JohnsonLiverpool RiversideLAB
FOE/TWAWGillian KeeganChichesterLAB
FOE/TWAWDavid LammyTottenhamLAB
FOE/TWAWClive LewisNorwich SouthLAB
FOE/TWAWRebecca Long BaileySalford and EcclesLAB
FOE/TWAWSeema MalhotraFeltham and HestonLAB
FOE/TWAWKerry McCarthyBristol EastLAB
FOE/TWAWStephan MorganPortsmouth SouthLAB
FOE/TWAWIan MurrayEdinburgh SouthLAB
FOE/TWAWAlex NorrisNottingham NorthLAB
FOE/TWAWLuke PollardPlymouth Sutton DevonportLAB
FOE/TWAWLucy PowellManchester CentralLAB
FOE/TWAWYasmin QureshiBolton SELAB
FOE/TWAWAngela RaynerAshton-Under-LymeLAB
FOE/TWAWBell Ribeiro-AddyStreathamLAB
FOE/TWAWMarie RimmerSt. Helens South and WhistonLAB
FOE/TWAWLloyd Russell MoyleBrighton KemptownLAB
FOE/TWAWJess PhillipsBirmingham YardleyLAB
FOE/TWAWRoyston SmithSouthampton ItchenCON
FOE/TWAWNickie AikenWestminsterCON
FOE/TWAWStuart AndrewPudseyCON
FOE/TWAWCrispin BluntReigateCON
FOE/TWAWConnor BurnsBournemeouth WestCON
FOE/TWAWChristopher ChopeChristchurchCON
FOE/TWAWJohn HayesSouth Holland & DeepingsCON
FOE/TWAWDrew HendryInverness Nairn, Badenoch & StratsbyCON
FOE/TWAWMims DaviesMid SussexCON
FOE/TWAWNicola RichardsWest Bromwich EastCON
FOE/TWAWJamie WallaceBridgendCON
FOE/TWAWGary SambrookBirmingham NorthfieldCON
FOE/TWAWPaul HolmesEastleighCON
FOE/TWAWJames SunderlandBracknellCON
FOE/TWAWRichard HoldenNorthWest DurhamCON
FOE/TWAWBen EverittMilton Keynes NorthCON
FOE/TWAWJohn NicolsonOchil and South PerthshireSNP
FOE/TWAWStewart McDonaldGllasgow southSNP
FOE/TWAWDavid LyndonGlasgow EastSNP
FOE/TWAWChris LawDundee WestSNP
FOE/TWAWMartin DochertyW DumbartonshireSNP
FOE/TWAWAngela CrawleyLannarck & Hamilton EastSNP
FOE/TWAWAlan BrownKilmarnokckSNP
FOE/TWAWMhairi BlackPaisley SNP
FOE/TWAWKirsty BlackmanAberdeen NSNP
FOE/TWAWChris StephensGlasgow SWSNP
FOE/TWAWPete WishartPerth and N. PerthshireSNP
FOE/TWAWEdward DaveyKinston and surbitonLIB DEMS
FOE/TWAWChrstine JardineEdinburgh WestLIB DEMS
FOE/TWAWLayla MoranWest Oxford and AbingdonLIB DEMS
FOE/TWAWCaroline LucasBrighton PavilionGREEN
UNSURE
TWAW/CONFUSEDAlicia KearnsRutland and MeltonCON
UNSURECaroline AnsellEastbourneCON
UNSURERichard BaconSouth NorfolkCON
UNSURE?Kemi BadenochSaffron WaldrenCON
UNSURE Karen BradleyStaffs MoorlandsCON
UNSURE Ben BradshawExeterCON
UNSURE Suella BravermanFarehamCON
UNSUREMaria CaulfieldLewes SussexCON
UNSURE?Daniel KawczynskiShewsbury & AtchamCON
UNSUREJonathan LordWokingCON
UNSUREOwen PattersonNorth ShropshireCON
UNSUREDominic RaabEsher and WaltonCON
UNSUREPaul ScullySutton and CheamCON
UNSUREJeremy WrightKenilworth on SouthamCON
UNSUREAndrew PerceyBrigg and GooleCON
UNSURE Virginia CorsbieIsle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn)
UNSURERuth CadburyBrentford and IsleworthLAB
UNSURETonia AntoniazziGowerLAB
UNSURE/FRIENDMarsha D CordovaBatterseaLAB
UNSURE/VEERING TO FOERose DuffieldCanterburyLAB
UNSUREJulie ElliottSunderland CentralLAB
UNSUREHarriet HarmanCamberwell and PeckhamLAB
UNSURECaroline HarrisSwansea EastLAB
UNSUREDiana R JohnsonKingston upon Hull NorthLAB
UNSURE/FRIENDPeter KyleHoveLAB
UNSURESiobhain McDonaghMitcham and MordenLAB
UNSUREJohn Martin McDonnellHayes and HarlingtonLAB
UNSUREPat McFaddenWolverhampton SELAB
UNSUREAnn McMorrinCardiff NorthLAB
UNSUREBridge PhillipsonHoughton & Sunderland SouthLAB
UNSUREJonathan ReynoldsStalybridge and HydeLAB
UNSURE/FRIENDJo StevensCardiff CentralLAB
UNSUREBeth WinterCynom ValleyLAB
UNSURE?Tim FarronWestmoreland & LondsdaleLIB DEMS
UNSUREAlyn SmithSterlingSNP
HOUSE OF LORDS
FRIENDS
FRIENDBaroness NicholsonLD
FRIENDZac GoldsmithCON
FRIENDLewis MoonieLAB
FRIENDPhilip Hunt@LordPhilofBrumLAB
FRIENDTanni Grey Thomson, BaronessINDEPENDENT

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