Kemi Badenoch welcomes Liz Truss' change of heart

       Suella Braverman tried to block "woke" trans guidance which will allow primary school children to transition to a different gender from being published when she was Home Secretary, allies have revealed.

       The claim comes as Education Secretary Gillian Keegan published controversial guidance today which has infuriated some MPs on the right of the party including Ms Braverman and former Prime Minister Liz Truss.

       But a government source has expressed surprise over the claims suggesting that Ms Braverman had been silent on the issue until she was sacked.

       The guidance for schools has also opened the door for parents not to be kept informed of a child transitioning in "exceptionally rare circumstances".

       Schools have been told that they can provide "gender neutral facilities" such as toilets but said they need floor-to-ceiling lockable doors.

       The guidance is far more liberal than Conservative MPs on the right had hoped despite saying there is "not a general duty" to allow pupils to transition.

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       Education Secretary Gillian Keegan wanted guidance to allow social transition (Image: Getty)

       The announcement on the last day before Parliament breaks up for the Christmas recess has seen Rishi Sunak potentially pick yet another battle with the right of his party after already having one over his Rwanda Bill on deportation flights, which has been described as "too weak".

       Sources have said that the delay in the school trans guidance being published was a battle between Ms Keegan and Mrs Braverman with the former Home Secretary pushing for much tougher guidelines and a ban on transitioning.

       One ally of Mrs Braverman said: "Suella fought tooth and nail on this. The guidance was far too weak and is essentially woke.

       "Gillian Keegan is essentially a social liberal who has no problem with children transitioning despite all the concerns for their safety, impact on education and the problems it causes for children.

       "The trouble was that Suella was fighting a lone battle on so many fronts with this, the ridiculous idea of banning 12-month prison sentences, trying to get robust immigration measures in and she was confronted by essentially woke leftwing cabinet colleagues at every turn."

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       Rishi Sunak appears to have picked another fight with the right (Image: Getty)

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       The Braverman ally added: "The question is where is Kemi [Badenoch] on all this? Suella did not get proper support on this issue from her.

       "Kemi is in charge of women and equalities issues and has been saying some good things publicly in recent weeks which have impressed those of us on the right, but she appears to be missing in action when it comes to actual policy.

       "The problem is that once Suella was sacked - and this is not unrelated - then the floodgates have been opened for essentially woke policies on trans issues in schools, prison sentences, immigration and much more."

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       But a government source said: "The first time anyone heard Suella talk about this issue was on the day she left government. This guidance goes as far as the government can take it without falling foul of existing law. Those seeking to undermine the guidance at this stage risk pushing schools and teachers further into the arms of the trans activists."

       The guidance was published today and will now go to public consultation.

       A request for an urgent question in the Commons on the issue was denied.

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