The guidance reaffirms the Supreme Court judgment which said that, for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010, sex means biological sex.

Bridget Phillipson MP, Minister for Women and Equalities said: ‘The Equality Act enshrines our rights in law so that people can live free from discrimination and harassment.

‘Our focus has always been making sure organisations have clear, accessible guidance on how to implement the law.'

Maya Forstater, chief executive of sex-based rights charity Sex Matters, said:
‘Any business, charity or public service provider that took a wrong turn and started letting men who identify as women use women's spaces or vice versa must now urgently fix its policies. Words and signs that say "men only" or "women only" must mean exactly what they say. Organisations that don't want to get into legal trouble should seize on this opportunity for a reset.'

A spokesperson for TransActual, a trans rights campaign group, said the law had ‘failed to protect the rights and dignity of trans people, to provide workable guidance, and to engage honestly with those who will be harmed by these ill-considered proposals'.