Lee Anderson warns Sunak ‘harmful’ trans ideology must be removed from schools

Lee Anderson has waded into the row over the Government’s delayed advice to schools on gender identity trans issues being taught and promoted in schools. In an exclusive article for Express.co.uk , the Conservative Party Deputy Chairman and GB News host has made it clear that he believes “gender identity” should be kept away from schools branding them “harmful.” The intervention from the popular Red Wall MP comes just a week after Education Secretary Gillian Keegan delayed much-anticipated advice for schools on how to deal with gender identity and children wanting to identify as a different agenda from the sex they were born with. There are concerns among some Tory MPs that Ms Keegan plans to have a more liberal approach to the controversial issue of forcing schools to accept self-identification. It follows schools being thrown into chaos over children identifying as cats while there have been cases of children being disciplined by woke leftwing teachers if they question fellow pupils’ reidentification. Lee Anderson has questioned the gender identity issue (Image: Getty) There is also an ongoing row over raunchy drag artists coming into school for reading sessions and performances. Mr Anderson was critical at the slow pace of his own Government in banning some of the issues. He said: “The concept of gender identity has no place in our schools and the Conservatives need to move much faster to clarify this. “The concept of gender identity should be removed from school lesson guidance via the Government’s current review into relationship and sex education – and the Government must surely clarify that no child should be affirmed as the sex they are not at school.” He wrote his article in response to Labour’s Anneliese Dodds who had attacked him personally on the issue. Gillian Keegan has delayed a policy on gender identification at schools (Image: Getty) But Mr Anderson has insisted that it is about protecting women’s rights and safeguarding children. He said: “The ideology of ‘gender identity’ is harmful. We need to protect the vulnerable from its reach.” “Single-sex protections must apply to a wide range of situations including schools, hospital wards, public sports centres, workplace toilets and changing rooms. “Women’s right to single-sex sports competitions must be unambiguously reasserted. I’d like to see Labour spelling this out comprehensively – harmful policies need to be reversed – like the current NHS policy of allowing trans-identifying men into women’s hospital wards.” The intervention reflects the views of many in the influential Common Sense Group of MPs who want Ms Keegan to come up with a much tougher response to the whole issue. However, MPs on the left of the Tories want more liberal rules. Last month 11 Conservative MPs voted against a 10-minute rule Bill brought by Reclaim MP Andrew Bridgen to impose the rules Mr Anderson has called for. Last week, delaying the review’s findings again, the Education Secretary said in a written statement: “It is vital that the guidance we publish gives clarity for schools and colleges and reassurance for parents. “So, we have made the decision to allow more time – to speak to teachers, parents, lawyers and other stakeholders – in order to ensure this guidance meets the high expectations that these groups rightly have for it.” Meanwhile, Mr Sunak described the issues as “sensitive and complex.” Divisions on the issue emerged after the SNP and Scottish Greens forced through a bill in the Scottish Parliament allowing gender reidentification for teenagers as young as 16 without reference to their parents. The bill was vetoed by the UK Government in an unprecedented move with never before-used powers. But it would have also allowed male rapists reidentifying as women into female jails.