MP Who Called for ‘Summer of Sex’ Clashes With Labour Colleague Over Single-Sex Guidance Row

Key Points

• Labour MP Samantha Niblett has slammed the new statutory code concerning single-sex spaces. The MP thinks that the new rules would “cause more division and hatred towards trans people.”
• Another Labour MP, Tonia Antoniazzi, took a shot at Samantha Niblett on Twitter. She accused the MP of spreading lies about her in the media and having an “agenda” of supporting pornography and prostitution.
• The controversy started due to a new statutory code issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The code concerns single-sex toilets, changing rooms, and hospital wards that should now be organised based on people’s biological sex at birth.
• The new code entered into effect this week following the decision of the Supreme Court, which decided a year ago that transgender women are not women within the meaning of the Equality Act.
• The MP Nadia Whittome called the new guidance the “dark day for trans people.” However, some other politicians welcome the new code and regard it as a clarification of the law rather than its amendment.
• The MP Samantha Niblett, who is running for a seat in South Derbyshire, is also known as a strong supporter of sexual liberation, including calls for a “summer of sex” and lifelong sex education under the project “Yes Sex Please, We’re British!”
• The project got the support of the famous actress Emma Thompson, along with sex education experts.

London (Britain Today News) August 06, 2026 – A bitter public row has broken out between two Labour MPs after Samantha Niblett, the backbencher previously known for calling for a “summer of sex,” condemned new government guidance on single-sex spaces, prompting a furious rebuke from colleague Tonia Antoniazzi, who accused her of lying and of promoting a “pro-sex work, pro-porn agenda.” The clash erupted this week as a new statutory code from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) came into force, requiring single-sex toilets, changing rooms and hospital wards to be organised according to a person’s sex at birth rather than the gender they identify as.

What did Samantha Niblett say about the new single-sex guidance?

Ms Niblett, the Labour MP for South Derbyshire, used a video posted from a sunlounger while on holiday to attack the newly implemented code. According to The Independent, she said:

“This new guidance protects nobody. All it does is cause more division and hatred towards trans people that just want to have their life, minding their own business, and protects no cis woman who is gender critical — let’s call it what it is, hates trans people, like, because if you didn’t, why would you fear trans people?”

She went further, telling viewers she felt “so unbelievably ashamed” of the response from fellow politicians, adding:

“I promise you I will continue to use my platform as an MP to fight for the rights of trans people.”

Ms Niblett did not hold back in her assessment of the motives she believes lie behind support for the guidance, warning:

“Don’t kid yourself, ladies. They’re coming for you after they come for the rest of the LGBT community. They’re coming for you. They’re coming for us. Stop pretending this is about protecting women’s rights. It’s nothing of the sort.”

How did Tonia Antoniazzi respond to Niblett’s comments?

The response from Ms Antoniazzi, the Labour MP for Gower and one of the most prominent parliamentary advocates for single-sex protections, was swift and pointed. Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, she wrote directly to her colleague:

“You’ve lied about me in the media. I have receipts. Have a good break; MPs deserve it. Today, we have clarification, not more confusion. Women and girls need protection from men, stop using trans people as an argument for your pro-sex work, pro-porn agenda.”

The Independent reported that it is thought Ms Antoniazzi’s criticism refers to remarks Ms Niblett made about her in a recent interview, though the precise comments in question have not been made public by either MP. The exchange marks a rare and unusually direct public confrontation between two sitting Labour parliamentarians over an issue that continues to divide opinion within the party.

What is the new EHRC statutory code on single-sex spaces?

The code at the centre of the dispute has been produced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and sets out how organisations should interpret their duties under the Equality Act 2010 when it comes to single-sex and separate-sex services. Under the new statutory guidance, single-sex toilets, changing rooms and hospital wards must now be organised according to a person’s biological sex at birth, rather than the gender they identify as.

The code carries legal status once in force, meaning it can be relied upon in tribunals and courts to help interpret how service providers, public bodies and associations should apply the law. It does not, however, override the underlying provisions of the Equality Act itself; rather, it is designed to illustrate how the principles of the Act should be applied in practice, including in relation to gyms, hospitals, sports clubs and other public-facing services.

Why was the code introduced now?

The implementation of the new code comes more than a year after a landmark Supreme Court judgment on the legal meaning of sex, and follows an extended process of consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. The changes were not rushed through; the EHRC first opened a consultation on updating its code of practice before the Supreme Court’s ruling, then launched a further consultation once that judgment had been handed down, in order to ensure the guidance reflected the court’s findings accurately.

Campaigners on both sides of the debate had been pressing the government to bring the guidance into force more quickly, arguing that organisations were otherwise left relying on outdated advice that no longer reflected the law as clarified by the courts.

What did the Supreme Court rule on the definition of sex?

The row over the new guidance cannot be separated from the wider legal context established by the Supreme Court’s ruling, which concluded that transgender women are not legally women for the Equality Act. The judgment centred on the meaning of “sex” within the Act, determining that the term refers to biological sex as recorded at birth, rather than a person’s acquired gender identity, even where that identity is recognised by a Gender Recognition Certificate.

That ruling has since reshaped guidance across a range of public services, from healthcare to sport, and has prompted councils, hospitals and other bodies across England, Scotland and Wales to review their policies on single-sex provision. The EHRC’s new code represents one of the most significant practical steps taken to translate that court judgment into day-to-day guidance for service providers.

Who is Samantha Niblett and what is her ‘summer of sex’ campaign?

Ms Niblett is no stranger to headlines. The South Derbyshire MP first attracted national attention when she suggested that fellow parliamentarians bring sex toys to the Palace of Westminster as part of a campaign she dubbed a “summer of sex.” The Independent reported that she has since joked about being branded “the sex MP,” while insisting that her underlying message is a serious one: that lifelong sex education is essential to tackling abuse and unresolved problems around sex and relationships.

Her campaign, titled Yes Sex Please, We’re British!, argues that sex education should not end with school-age Relationships and Sex Education lessons, but should continue throughout adulthood, addressing subjects such as consent, intimacy and healthy relationships at every life stage. Ms Niblett has framed the initiative as being about public health and safety as much as it is about pleasure, arguing that a lack of ongoing education leaves gaps that are too often filled by pornography.

What backing has Niblett’s campaign received?

Ms Niblett’s push for lifelong sex education has won high-profile support, including from the actress Dame Emma Thompson, as well as from specialists working in the field of sex and relationships education. She recently became chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sex and Reproductive Health, a role that has given her campaign an additional institutional platform within Parliament.

That backing has not, however, insulated Ms Niblett from criticism over her intervention on the single-sex spaces guidance, with Ms Antoniazzi explicitly linking her comments on trans rights to what she characterised as a “pro-sex work, pro-porn agenda” — a charge that goes well beyond the specific issue of toilets and changing rooms and strikes at the heart of Ms Niblett’s wider public profile.
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How have other MPs reacted to the new guidance?

The dispute between Ms Niblett and Ms Antoniazzi reflects a broader split within the Labour Party over the new code. Nadia Whittome, the MP for Nottingham East, said the guidance marked “a dark day for trans people,” aligning herself with Ms Niblett’s position that the changes will have a damaging impact on transgender people’s ability to live without fear of discrimination or hostility.

By contrast, other MPs have welcomed the guidance, arguing that it does not represent a change in the law but rather offers much-needed clarity on how existing legal obligations under the Equality Act should be interpreted and applied by service providers. That division mirrors the wider debate that has played out across British politics and public life since the Supreme Court’s ruling, with women’s rights campaigners broadly welcoming the clarity the code provides, and trans rights advocates warning it will make daily life harder and less safe for transgender people.

What might Niblett’s remarks refer to in her criticism of Antoniazzi?

Ms Antoniazzi’s insistence that she has “receipts” refuting claims made about her points to a specific, if unconfirmed, incident. The Independent noted that it is thought her criticism relates to a statement Ms Niblett made about her in a recent interview, though neither MP has publicly detailed the precise remarks in dispute. The lack of clarity on this point has left much of the exchange to be interpreted from the public statements both MPs have chosen to make on social media, rather than from any agreed account of what was originally said.

What is clear is that the disagreement has moved beyond a simple policy dispute over single-sex spaces and has taken on a distinctly personal dimension, with both MPs directly naming and challenging one another in public rather than confining their disagreement to more conventional political channels.

What happens next with the single-sex guidance row?

With the EHRC code now in force, attention is likely to turn to how it is implemented in practice across gyms, hospitals, sports clubs and other public-facing services, and to how legal disputes arising from its application are resolved. The code encourages organisations to consider alternative arrangements for transgender individuals to avoid discrimination, even as it requires single-sex spaces to be organised according to biological sex.

For Ms Niblett and Ms Antoniazzi, the public disagreement is unlikely to be resolved quickly. Both MPs remain prominent voices within Labour on issues of sex, gender and equality, and the code’s implementation is likely to continue generating debate within the party as it beds in. Whether the personal dimension of their dispute — centred on Ms Antoniazzi’s claim that she has been misrepresented — will be addressed further remains to be seen, with neither MP having indicated whether they intend to pursue the matter beyond their public exchanges this week.