Tories deny claims of new laws to ban children from changing gender at school

Kemi Badenoch says report is ‘silly season story’ ahead of new guidance

The government has rejected a claim that it is drawing up plans for new legislation that would ban children from changing gender at school.

Kemi Badenoch dismissed reports that such laws were being drafted in Downing Street, describing them as "a legally incoherent, silly season story".

It comes ahead of plans by the government to consult on draft guidance to schools in England regarding children changing their gender.

Kemi Badenoch is the government’s equalities minister (PA Wire)

Equalities minister Ms Badenoch said last week that she "can't go into specifics" about the plan at this stage, but has hinted that schools may be told to tell parents if students are questioning their gender.

Responding to an article in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper headlined "No 10 drafts laws to ban children from changing gender in school", which has now been taken offline, Ms Bandenoch said:

"This is a legally incoherent, silly season story. It hasn’t come from anyone in my departments or No10 working on equalities policy.

"I know there’s much interest in this area but pls wait for facts. If it isn’t coming directly from me, its probably not accurate!"

The report says officials were preparing legislation for inclusion in the King’s Speech.

The Independent approached the Government Equalities Office, which the minister leads, for clarity on which claims in the article Ms Badenoch was rejecting, but a spokesperson the department said did not want into get into detail about the planned guidance.

Last week the minister dismissed concerns that forcing schools to report children to their parents would amount to "outing" them as trans, telling the BBC:

“The fact is that this is not a trivial thing; this is very different from sexual orientation and what is right is that parents know what is going on with their children at school.”