City's first trans councillor quits over gender row

LABOUR 'HAS THROWN TRANS PEOPLE UNDER THE BUS'

- WILLIAM TELFORD

PLYMOUTH'S first openly trans councillor has resigned from the Labour Party accusing it of “throwing transgender people under the bus”.

Dylan Tippetts, aged 24, was elected in the Compton ward in 2022 but will now sit as an independent and not seek re-election next year.

The councillor, who became the first Labour member to represent Compton, yesterday posed on social media to announce the resignation.

Cllr Tippetts said the national Labour Party had taken transgender people “back decades’ and denied them the “basic right” to live peacefully, and said: “I cannot, as a trans person, continue to support the Labour Party”.

Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that only biological women can be a woman, following the UK Supreme Court's ruling last month that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law.

Cllr Tippetts said that it was now impossible to remain a member of the party. Cllr Tippetts also announced his resignation as chair of the Taxi Licensing Committee.

Plymouth Labour, however, said the resignation came after Cllr Tippetts was told he was being replaced as committee chair.