"No decisions have been taken"

Tory MP and outspoken critic of gender ideology Miriam Cates disputes yesterday's Telegraph report:

The PM’s spokesperson has confirmed that the source for this story is incorrect. No decisions have been taken. I continue to push for guidance that will make clear that schools do not have the authority to ‘socially transition’ children. /1 https://t.co/YlIs6KzWYj

— Miriam Cates (@miriam_cates) September 7, 2023

Meanwhile, Maya Forstater has a letter in today's Times:

Sir, The government has dithered too long over the promised guidance for schools on what they should do when a child wants to adopt an alternative gender identity (“Sunak to block ban on children changing gender”, Sep 7). It should publish the consultation draft and let its proposals be tested by public discussion. The government seems to have forgotten that no child can change their sex. Once you remember this, it is obvious that no new legislation is needed. It is already clear that schools must consider the welfare of all pupils and keep them safe. That means clear rules and reality-based risk assessments. This cannot be done while pretending that some girls are boys, some boys are girls and some pupils have no sex at all. Nor can it be done if mentions of any child’s actual sex are made taboo by bans on “misgendering”. All teachers, and all pupils, need to know what sex every other child is, and to be able to say so and act accordingly. No one should be forced to pretend to believe something that is untrue.

And here's Debbie Hayton in the Spectator - When will the Tories clear up the transgender confusion?

Schools are back but teachers are still waiting for the government’s guidance on transgender pupils. Back in March, Rishi Sunak promised that it would be in our hands ‘for the summer term’. Well it’s now autumn and another round of teacher training days – and the summer holidays – have come and gone, and still we are no nearer to any answers....

We’ve also learned this morning that Rishi Sunak is reportedly set to block plans that would have prevented schoolkids from transitioning, according to the Times. In the absence of any proper updated guidance, teachers are forced to look for such snippets in the newspapers – and even resort to more desperate measures in the quest for answers. Headteachers who turned to Google for advice on ‘transgender training for teachers’ will have been met with information from the usual suspects: Proud Trust, Mermaids, the National Education Union, Gendered Intelligence and Stonewall UK. I wouldn’t trust any of them....

In this context, the continuing silence from government is unforgivable. The irony is that good advice isn’t hard to come by. We have known the difference between the sexes since the dawn of humanity, and we know that sex matters. Good policy needs to be grounded in this truth. Quite simply, schools must be honest about sex, and – equally importantly – uphold the right to be honest. It is totally wrong, therefore to discipline children or teachers who refer to other people by sex-based pronouns. But schools should not be supporting the social transition of children in any case. As the Cass Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People observed, ‘it is important to acknowledge that it is not a neutral act, and better information is needed about outcomes.’

We shall see.