The Secretary of International Trade denied reports that she had implemented a policy to end the requirement for transgender people to receive a medical diagnosis of: gender dysphoria before they could legally change sex when she was minister of equality in Theresa May’s government.
Ms Mordaunt told the BBC Sunday Morning programme: “This has been refuted many times. We all know what’s going on. This is the kind of toxic politics people want to get out of.
“We have had a consultation. We asked healthcare professionals what they thought of the situation. That’s the department I took care of. I supervised that consultation. We didn’t actually draw up a policy during my shift.
“There are some slanders going on in the papers. My colleagues are very angry and upset that this is the way the leadership contest is being dragged down.”
In the first televised debate on Friday, former Equal Opportunities Minister Kemi Badenoch and Foreign Minister Liz Truss – who is also responsible for equality issues – claimed that Mordaunt had supported a push for self-ID for those who want to switch.
They said they had reversed the policy together.
Mordaunt has strongly contested the claims. She said that while she had ordered a revision of the gender recognition law, she was not in favor of self-identification and “wouldn’t have separated it from health care”.
The Sunday Times, however, said it had seen government papers that seemed to suggest it favors removing at least one element of the medical process necessary for transgender people to transition legally.
It said another document from February 2020 confirmed the government’s support for self-identification ended after she was replaced as the responsible minister.
In response, a spokesperson for her campaign said the papers seen by The Sunday Times made it clear that all ministers involved at the time were in favor of maintaining medical involvement in the process.
“The fact that so much of this competition has been distracted by side issues rather than by the cost of living crisis affecting millions of people is a major disappointment,” the spokesperson said.
“Arguing about policy is one thing, but questioning Penny’s values and integrity must be challenged. To be clear, on the issue of self-ID, leaked documents prove that all ministers of the department of medical involvement wanted to keep, including Penny. Other ministers can support this.”
Mordaunt was backed by Baroness Williams, who was then undersecretary for equality, and said the accounts of the events given at the hustings and in the media were “completely inaccurate”.
“As the Secretary of State for Equality in the Department under both Penny Mordaunt and Amber Rudd, I saw firsthand that the position referred to was by no means Penny Mordaunt’s and I fully refuted other candidates’ accusations of the self-ID debate,” she said in a statement.
“After years of serving with the Equal Opportunities Agency, I am shocked to see such inaccurate reporting and briefings by our colleagues and would question the motives of those who want to do this.”
The Sunday Times published details of a note from a senior official sent to Mordaunt and other senior officials in the Government Equalities Office in July 2019.
Mordaunt was defense minister at the time, but was also responsible for women’s and equality issues.
The note stated: “Currently, applicants are required to provide two medical reports: a diagnosis of gender dysphoria (which we now intend to remove) and a report detailing all medical treatments received.
“There is no requirement to have undergone medical treatment as part of the transition, nor does the contents of the report influence the panel’s decision, so it is unclear what practical value this current report has in the context of the transition. process.
“However, this part of the process gets to the heart of whether we have a system that is essentially self-identification, or whether there are external controls.”
The note went on to state that “all of you have indicated that you want some form of medical requirement to remain part of the process – specifically a form of assessment that the applicant is ‘sound of mind’ while they are completing their application.” submit to change their gender.
“That can be from a general practitioner, a registered care provider or a therapist. This would help protect vulnerable individuals and would also provide a defense against potentially nasty applications.”