The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
This comes after a long-running legal battle between the Scottish government and the For Women Scotland (FWS) group.
The campaigners brought a series of challenges to the UK‘s highest court over the definition of ‘woman’ in Scottish legislation mandating 50% female representation on public boards.
The dispute centres on whether someone with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) recognising their gender as female should be treated as a woman under the UK 2010 Equality Act.
And, in the FWS’s favour, justices unanimously ruled this morning (16 April) that the term ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
The For Women Scotland directors celebrate at the Supreme Court as others fear for trans rights in the UK. (HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
In an 88-page ruling, Lord Hodge, Lady Rose and Lady Simler said: “The definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 makes clear that the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man.
“Persons who share that protected characteristic for the purposes of the group-based rights and protections are persons of the same sex and provisions that refer to protection for women necessarily exclude men.
“Although the word ‘biological’ does not appear in this definition, the ordinary meaning of those plain and unambiguous words corresponds with the biological characteristics that make an individual a man or a woman.”
Delivered by Judge Lord Hodge, the written ruling continued: “A certificated sex interpretation would cut across the definition of the protected characteristic of sex in an incoherent way.
“References to a ‘woman’ and ‘women’ as a group sharing the protected characteristic of sex would include all females of any age, irrespective of any other protected characteristic, and those trans women, biological men, who have the protected characteristic of gender reassignment and a GRC, and who are therefore female as a matter of law.
“The same references would necessarily exclude men of any age, but they would also exclude some, biological, women living in the male gender with a GRC, trans men who are legally male.”
FWS and supporters outside the Supreme Court this morning. ( HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
The judges claimed the ruling that ‘woman’ in the Equality Act refers to biological women does not diminish trans women’s protections against direct discrimination.
“A man who identifies as a woman who is treated less favourably because of the protected characteristic of gender reassignment will be able to claim on that basis,” they said in their statement.
“A man who identifies as a woman who is treated less favourably not because of being trans (the protected characteristic of gender reassignment) but because of being perceived as being a woman will be able to claim for direct sex discrimination on that basis.
“This does not entail any practical disadvantage and there is no discordance (as the Scottish ministers appear to suggest) between the individual’s position in society and the ability to claim on this basis.
“A certificated sex reading of the EA 2010 is not necessary here, and the approach applies equally whether or not the claimant has a Gender Recognition Certificate.”
While supporting campaign groups celebrate this ‘victory’ and call the judgement ‘wonderful’, trans rights groups have said it’s ‘not justice, it’s erasure’.
Featured Image Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Wire
A warning has been issued to Brits who still use a red passport with new rules set to come into place this week.
Thanks to a certain referendum that saw the UK leave the EU, as well as the rising geopolitical tensions, travelling has seemingly never come with so many obstacles.
Not only do we have to navigate the significantly longer queues at the airport, we also have to ensure we have the right documents when travelling abroad, and also seemingly have to avoid certain colours of suitcases just to avoid having our luggage stolen.
Checking your passport validity and date of expiry will avoid any unpleasant surprises at the airport (Geography Photos/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Although if the rumours are true (they are), then some UK airports might not even require you to get your passports out at scanners any more, with high-tech scanners simply matching your face to a database before deciding whether or not to let you in the country.
One thing you really need to double check if you haven’t already upgraded to one of Boris Johnson’s fancy blue passports is just how long you’ve had that burgundy passport in your top drawer.
If you have one that is over 10 years old or expires in the next six months, then you won’t be able to travel, but that’s not the only reason to ‘upgrade’ to a new one as soon as you can.
From April 10, the price of an online passport application made from the UK will increase from £88.50 to £94.50 for adults and from £57.50 to £61.50 for children.
What colour is your passport? (Getty Stock Images)
A government spokesperson said: “The new fees will help the Home Office to continue to move towards a system that meets its costs through those who use it, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
“The government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
“The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.”
Premium Service (one day) applications made from within in the UK will also rise from £207.50 to £222 for adults and £176.50 to £189 for children, which is another reason why it’s definitely best not to leave it until the very last minute.
So, if you’ve less than a year left on your passport and want to save yourself an extra few quid, then it may well be worth putting through that passport renewal in the next few days.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock
Topics: Brexit, Travel, UK News
A US tourist was recently arrested on a beach in the UK after he said he hadn’t properly understood the laws in this country.
Now there can be some pretty niche laws you can fall foul of when travelling abroad, such as one British businessman who spent a week in jail for bringing his phone to a yoga retreat in India a few years ago.
In Marbella you can be fined €750 (£870) for peeing in the sea, while if you visit one beach in Benidorm you can be slapped with a €150 (£130) fine for building sandcastles.
But the UK law this American breached is perhaps less innocuous.
The US tourist was visiting Herne Bay (Getty Stock Image)
Kent Online reported that police were called to the picturesque seaside town of Herne Bay after they’d received reports of a man armed with a kitchen knife and listening to music from the band UB40.
While the latter is not illegal in the UK, the former most certainly is.
When police confronted the tourist, he said he came from a US state where carrying guns around was normal, so he thought he’d need to take the knife with him when going out in public in the seaside British town to protect himself.
Despite the UK’s reputation for knife crime in some circles, the US actually has a higher rate of knife crime and that’s before you even factor in all of their gun crime as well.
Studies on the matter have shown that the US has 6.81 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, almost six times higher than the UK’s rate of 1.17 per 100,000 people.
The US also has 0.53 stabbing deaths per 100,000 people, compared to the UK’s much lower rate of 0.08 stabbing deaths per 100,000.
Welcome to Herne Bay, please do not bring a knife with you when you go outside (Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
So this guy really didn’t need to bring a knife with him.
When the police caught up to him and arrested him, the US tourist admitted to possessing the knife in public and told officers that he didn’t understand the law in the UK about carrying weapons.
The knife was taken off the man and officers explained to him what the law actually was.
A spokesperson for Kent Police told LADbible: “Kent Police was called to a report that a man had been seen with a knife in the Hampton area of Herne Bay at 10.30am on Thursday 3 April, 2025.
“Officers attended and a man, who is a US citizen and was on holiday in the area, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife.
“In interview, the man made a full admission to possessing the knife in public and explained he had not understood UK law around possession of weapons.
“The knife was seized and, following consideration of the circumstances, the matter was dealt with by a community resolution, during which the law was fully explained to him.”
UK laws around carrying knives
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Police arrested the American, and explained to him that carrying weapons in public was not allowed (Getty Stock Photo)
For the clarity of any other Americans who don’t want to get arrested, it’s illegal to carry a knife out in public in the UK without a ‘good reason’, and thinking you’ll need to protect yourself in the dangerous environment of a beach doesn’t count.
These ‘good reasons’ include needing the knife for work, wearing it as part of a national costume or having it for religious reasons such as the kirpan knife carried by Sikhs.
You can carry a folding pocketknife as long as the cutting edge is no longer than three inches and are not ‘lock knives’ where you use a button or mechanism to lock the blade into place.
Breaking this law can result in a prison sentence of up to four years and an unlimited fine, the government says you will get a prison sentence if you’re convicted of illegally carrying a weapon more than once.
Featured Image Credit: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
Barclays is currently offering mortgages with a £0 deposit for Brits up and down the country — here is how to find out if you’re eligible.
Buying a home in the UK is no easy matter. Most of us will spend years scraping together enough money for a deposit and then several more months desperately putting in offers on every available property — only to be rejected in favour of someone who can offer the entire asking price in cash.
It’s a tough world out there, but what if I told you there was another way?
For a number of Brits, Barclays bank has announced that its scrapping the requirement for a deposit for anyone looking to purchase a home or flat under the Right to Buy scheme.
Buying a house can be a nightmare (Getty Stock Images)
The bank confirmed on 8 April that it would be using the Right to Buy (RTB) discount in place of a deposit for tenants looking to buy their council or housing association homes.
Introduced by the government under the Housing Act of 1980, the scheme allows eligible council tenants in England and Wales to purchase their rented homes at a discounted rate, implemented as a way to increase the numbers of homeowners across the country.
What is the Barclays zero deposit scheme?
Previous borrowers looking to access the RTB scheme were required to supply a deposit, however the new scheme will now use the RTB discount in place of a deposit.
For example, a person who would be eligible to receive a 35% discount through the RTB scheme will now have a 35% mortgage when looking to purchase their property through Barclays.
They will also be able to take advantage of the lower loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages depending on how much of a discount they’re eligible for.
Those eligible for the government’s Right to Buy scheme can now purchase their home without a deposit (Getty Stock Images)
A loan-to-value ratio is calculated by measuring the amount of money you’re borrowing compared to the total price of your property.
Who is eligible for the Barclays zero deposit scheme?
The zero deposit scheme is available to anyone who is eligible to purchase their home under the Right to Buy scheme.
According to guidance from the UK government website, you can buy your council home if:
- it’s your only or main home
- it’s self-contained
- you’re a secure tenant
- you’ve had a public sector landlord for 3 years. Public sector landlords include a council, housing association or NHS trust
Tenants living in ex-council homes sold to another landlord while they were living in it may still be eligible to use the Right to Buy scheme, known as ‘Preserved Right to Buy’.
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“The Right to Buy scheme has long been a crucial route to home ownership for council and housing association tenants, yet we know that saving for a deposit remains a key obstacle,” Lee Chiswell, Head of Mortgages at Barclays, said of the scheme.
“By lending for the full value of the property, we’re removing the need for buyers to have any deposit at all, helping many completely sidestep their largest barrier to home ownership.”
A woman that initially ‘came down with a cold’ discovered that she had developed a serious brain condition that rendered her unable to talk.
Sophie Mallon was just 22-years-old when she was told of the acute inflammation of her brain stem, affecting the part that controls her breathing, eye movement and muscles around her throat.
As a result, Sophie’s swallowing and speaking was affected, and was kept in ICU for months on end to ensure she received 24/7 care for her health condition.
In 2019, she featured on an episode of BBC’s Hospital, leaving viewers heartbroken as the woman from Garston, Liverpool, shared her situation with viewers, as she could have stopped breathing to the point where it would have cost her life.
The Brit had been in the intensive care unit at Walton Neurological Centre for close to a year, and even had to be resuscitated 20 times.
Sophie’s story was features on an episode of Hospital (BBC)
Sophie’s recovery journey was explored, as her main aim was to return to normal life back home.
It all began when she thought she had a ‘ripped contact lens’, telling the Liverpool Echo in August 2019 that before finishing work, her ‘vision had gone double’.
“When I got home I took my contacts out straight away and my vision was still double. I put eye drops in and hoped to wake up back to normal the next morning,” she recalled.
But after waking up, her vision was the same, so she tried to book herself an appointment at the opticians, where, after a checkup, she was quickly referred to St Paul’s Eye Unit at the Royal Hospital Liverpool, with tests being carried out and a scan being booked days down the line.
Before that though, she started to slur her words and struggled to keep food down, experiencing pins and needles on the left side of her body.
An administrator for Redrow Homes by day, Sophie tried to head to work despite her symptoms and was sent to A&E, where it was suggested she suffered stroke.
A lesion on her brain stem was found on an MRI, so she remained in the Walton neurological centre for 771 days. Her voice at the time of filming was almost mute, while she also found it hard to breath or swallow, which resulted in her being put in a coma due to the amount of swelling on her brain.
Doctors had to carry out a tracheostomy to prevent her from choking, with Sophie admitting she was ‘really lucky’ to still be here today, and described the early stages of the condition to be a ‘complete blur’.
Despite all this, the BBC episode ended with the then 22-year-old showing her progress with vocal chords, speaking to her grandad for the first time.
Since Sophie’s story hit the mainstream, not much else has been shared, though she had shared updates on her health journey on social media.
Sophie was last said to be living in her own home in Liverpool (BBC)
Good News Liverpool also reported in 2020, months after being discharged from hospital, Sophie moved into her own house, a bungalow in Liverpool.
She told the publication: “No words can describe how grateful my family and I are for everything that’s been done with my new home.
“Everyone has gone above and beyond, and turned a house into a home for me.
“I couldn’t have asked for a more special work family. Ever since I was first admitted they have been there for me and supported me.
“I’ve had birthday cards, Christmas cards, they’ve always thought of me.”