VICTORY! ...for common sense, for reality' as Supreme Court judges rule the legal definition of a woman IS based on biological sex

CAMPAIGNERS said a “watershed” gender ruling by Britain’s highest court is a victory for common sense - and for women’s rights.

- Steph Spyro Deputy Political Editor

Supreme Court judges voted unanimously that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer to a “biological woman and biological sex”.

Their verdict, which means transgender women are not legally women, was called a win “for common sense, for reality”. It will have far-reaching implications, including for women-only spaces.

Delighted activist and author JK Rowling said it "protected the rights of women". She praised For Women Scotland campaigners Susan Smith, Marion Calder and Trina Budge who had brought the case.

Ms Rowling posted: "It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they've protected the rights of women and girls across the UK."

Ex-Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who sits as an independent, said: "Í am thrilled that all the women who've been discriminated against now have clarity and the weight of this legal ruling behind us.

"It is shameful however that it took a court case for us to be able to say 'No' to men in women's spaces. Political parties and public bodies will now have to respect our rights and not allow men to self-identify into our spaces."

Ms Duffield had previously said she felt unsupported by Labour over her views on trans issues.

The LGB Alliance charity, which put forward arguments in the case, said the ruling "marks a watershed for women" and is a "victory for biology, for common sense, for reality". While Tory leader Kemi Badenoch praised the conclusion as a win for women and said it meant the "era of Keir Starmer telling us women can have penises has come to an end".