Rishi Sunak labelled 'disgusting' for trans jibe made in front of Brianna Ghey's mum

Rishi Sunak is facing criticism after joking about the 'definition of a woman' in a heated Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday as the mother of murdered trans teenager Brianna Ghey visited the House of Commons.

Sunak was engaged in a hot-tempered debate with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and was criticising U-turns made by the Labour party leadership when he made the jibe.

The PM accused his opposite number of being incapable of 'defining a woman' and that it was one of a number of issues on which he performed and about-face. "Although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn," he added. Previously, Starmer had said that '99.9%' of women do not have penises when arguing that trans rights should not override women's rights.

Brianna's mother, Esther, was in parliament at the time as she was meeting with the Labour leader and is believed to have been watching from the gallery. Only last week the killers of her daughter, who was trans, were sentenced to a combined 42 years in prison for her murder.

The jibe led to Sir Keir Starmer to say: "Of all the weeks to say that, when Brianna's mother is in this chamber. Shame. Parading as a man of integrity when he's got absolutely no responsibility. Absolute shock."

Dozens of MPs have blasted the Prime Minister for the remarks, with Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson saying: "Disgusting behaviour from the Prime Minister at [Prime Minister's Questions] making a transphobic jibe whilst the mother of Brianna Ghey watches on in the gallery. Followed by a refusal to apologise for his comments. Shameless."

Brianna Ghey was stabbed 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back after being lured to a park in Warrington by murderers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe on 11 February 2023. On Friday (February 2) Jenkinson was sentenced to 22 years in jail and Ratcliffe for 20 years in jail for her murder after a trial at Manchester Crown Court.

During the trial, the court heard how the pair murdered Brianna in a 'frenzied and ferocious' attack with a hunting knife after hatching a 'disturbing' plan to kill her. Brianna was found by two dog walkers in Linear Park, Culcheth.

The court also heard how Ratcliffe had said he wanted to kill Brianna "to see if she screamed like a boy or a girl.”