By Ben Kerrigan-
Rishi Sunak has called for compassion and tolerance in dealing with the transgender controversy sweeping the Uk during an interview with Piers Morgan.
Morgan brought up the case of Isla Bryson, a transgender woman convicted of raping two women while known as a man called Adam Graham. She was initially remanded in a women’s prison, but has since been moved to a men’s jail.
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Morgan said it showed the problem of “limitless gender self-identity”. Mr Sunak said it demonstrated “some of the challenges”, but added “we must and should have enormous compassion and tolerance and understanding for those who are questioning their gender and identity”.
“But we have to recognise the challenges that that poses, particularly for women’s safety,” Mr Sunak said.
“For me… whether it’s sex, whether it’s women’s spaces, whether it’s prisons, biological sex really matters.”
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Asked about transgender women athletes competing in women’s sport, he said: “I think that doesn’t strike most people as being fair. That’s why when it comes to these questions, biological sex matters.”
The comment biological sex matters was a significant statement in the scheme of the debate that has engulfed Scotland and other parts of the Uk.
Sunak call for compassion and tolerance still hit home, while his ‘biological sex matters’ statement appeared to cover many grounds of the controversial debate, at least from the perspective of his own view.
Piers Morgan brought up a range of topics with the British prime minister in what appeared to be a no bars interview.
Mr Sunak also pledged to bring in tougher immigration and asylum rules to curb the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats
Asked why he wanted to become prime minister, he said: “I do ask myself the same question on occasion… there’s a concept in Hinduism called dharma which roughly translates into ‘duty’, and that’s how I was raised”
Morgan put to him that he was “stinking rich”, and after an awkward pause he replied: “I think most people would consider that I’m financially fortunate, yes”
He said he was “batting above my average” when it came to his wife and recalled proposing to her while walking along the cliffs in Half Moon Bay in California
Last April, Ms Murty’s spokeswoman said she “has always and will continue to pay UK taxes on all her UK income”.
Mr Sunak first made the promise to publish his tax returns during his unsuccessful campaign to be leader of the Conservative Party last summer.
Since becoming prime minister, he said in December at the G20 summit that he would stand by the pledge, telling reporters he would seek advice and “figure out the right way that happens”.
Mr Sunak is thought to be one of the richest MPs in Parliament, something Labour has used as an attack line during Prime Minister’s Questions.
In his interview with Morgan in 10 Downing Street, Mr Sunak promised to publish his tax returns soon. He said: “They will be published shortly. As you know the tax filing deadline was just a few days ago. So that’s why.
“So we do the tax-filing deadlines just passed, so they’re just being prepared and they will be released shortly.”
In another question about his financial affairs, Morgan asked Mr Sunak whether he was benefitting from a financial arrangement known as a blind trust.
Politicians with share portfolios and investments routinely set up blind trusts when they get government jobs. This allows them to continue earning income from their investments without knowing where the money is invested to avoid any conflicts of interest.
When asked whether it was right for prime ministers to have blind trusts, Mr Sunak said: “I think that’s better than them having control over them.”
He was asked by Morgan to describe his “doctrine” and assess his first 100 days in office as prime minister.
Mr Sunak said he inherited “a challenging situation” but insisted he was “proud of what we’ve achieved” so far.
One of the most prominent issues of his time in office up to now has been the wave of public sector strikes over pay.
Mr Sunak said nurses should be treated as an “exception” and he would “love to give the nurses a massive pay rise” but insisted he could not, as doing so would stoke the rising cost of living.
He said he was “batting above my average” when it came to his wife and recalled proposing to her while walking along the cliffs in Half Moon Bay in California
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