Restoring Trans Rights

Everyone deserves to live in safety and with dignity. Yet across the country, trans and gender non-conforming people face rising hostility, with recorded hate crimes increasing by 50% between 2020 and 2025.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) updated Code of Practice, which came into force on 5 August 2026, has created confusion, fear, and legal risk. 

It has left trans people without access to facilities they can safely use - and some without access to facilities full stop. It has opened the door to policing women who do not look "female enough" at the door of a women's toilet. And its lack of clarity has left businesses and providers at serious risk of legal challenge.

We urgently need new, workable and inclusive guidance that protects the rights of women and trans people alike. These rights are not in competition – both are essential to a fair society.

Today, Liberal Democrat members reaffirmed our commitment to defending human rights and ensuring no one is excluded from public life. Our policy calls for:

• A dedicated Parliamentary Review Committee: establish a cross-party parliamentary committee to review how the law protects trans people's rights, taking evidence from impacted communities to propose statutory amendments.
   
• A new, workable EHRC Code of Practice: require the EHRC to issue updated statutory guidance that ensures safe, dignified access to public facilities for all, while protecting service providers from legal uncertainty.
   
• Mandatory impact monitoring: ensure the EHRC continuously monitors the real-world impact of its guidance and revises any code proven to be discriminatory, unworkable, or harmful.
   
• Parliamentary vote on EHRC appointments: require all future appointments of the EHRC Chair to be subject to a confirmatory vote by the Women and Equalities Committee to ensure the Chair commands cross-party confidence.

The Liberal Democrats will continue to stand in solidarity with trans and non-binary communities, defending equal rights, personal dignity and safety for all.