Sadiq Khan Demands Rishi Sunak Apologize For Anti-Trans Joke In Leaked Video -TGN

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called on Rishi Sunak to apologize after making an anti-trans joke (Peter Nicholls/Getty Images for Pride In London)

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has demanded Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologize for a leaked video mocking transgender people.

Speaking to PinkNews during London’s Pride celebrations on Saturday (July 1), the Labor mayor said he was “angry”, “surprised” and “shocked” at the content of the video and believes Sunak should make a public apology.

The footage, shared exclusively with PinkNews, showed Sunak joking with other Tory MPs about “women with penises” at a committee party in 1922.

The 1922 Committee is a group of all-Conservative MPs who meet weekly when Parliament is in session.

“It shows his spectacular error of judgment and why he is totally unfit to lead our country,” Sunak can be heard in the leaked footage, possibly referring to Labor leader Keir Starmer.

Sunak continued, “During the same period, you may have noticed that Ed Davey is very busy.

“Like me, you can probably see that he was trying to convince everyone that women clearly had penises.

“You all know I’m a big fan of anyone studying math up to 18, but it turns out we should focus on biology.”

The anti-trans comments were laughed at by Tory MPs.

At first, Khan believed the video was fake as he couldn’t believe the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom would make such remarks about a marginalized community.

“I have to admit, at first I thought that video was fake,” Khan told PinkNews.

“I’ll tell you why: We’re not talking about Donald Trump or someone from the right who wants to be president of the US – we’re talking about our prime minister.”

He continued: “I was angry, I was surprised, I was shocked and I think he should apologize.”

The Mayor of London further questioned – given that the trans community faces “such prejudice and discrimination” – how Sunak can “make the environment even worse by fooling (trans people) into trying to get a cheap laugh from your MPs in the back seat”.

After being made public by PinkNews, Sunak was soon criticized by the Labor shadow minister, MPs across the political spectrum and LGBTQ+ organisations.

Anneliese Dodds, the shadow equality minister, told PinkNews that “transgender people should not be used as political football”, while an anonymous senior Tory MP called the comments “deeply depressing”.

Kate Osborne, Labor MP for Jarrow, tweeted“It is disgusting that Rishi Sunak is publicly and privately escalating his culture war – throwing trans people under the bus to distract from the Tory-induced cost of living crisis.

“Using trans women as a punchline is a new low for this terrible prime minister.”

This idea of ​​trans rights being used to fuel a culture war was also mentioned by Khan, who said some politicians are using trans rights to get “cheap votes”.

“I had asked them not to do that and just asked them to imagine what it must feel like to be in the shoes of a young trans person,” the mayor of London added.

Khan issued a message to everyone who took part in Pride or protested, saying: “It is really important that we celebrate the progress made, and some of that progress is here in London.

“You are free to be who you want to be.

“You are free to love whoever you want to love.

“As long as I am mayor, we will not just tolerate each other. We will respect, embrace and celebrate each other – and so will the trans community.”