A Norfolk school has been accused by former prime minister Liz Truss of not taking sufficient action after girls complained that boys were taking photographs of them in their toilets.

The MP suggested the secondary school, in her South West Norfolk constituency, had not properly addressed the concerns raised by the girls for fear of being considered transphobic.

She said the boys were able to use the toilets without facing punishment because they were "taking advantage" of an "extreme woke ideology" holding sway in many schools.

Under such ideology, people are able to "proclaim" their gender and, Ms Truss claims, this means schools are not stopping boys from using girls' toilets.

The MP, who did not identify the school, raised the case in an article for the Daily Mail in which she outlined why she is campaigning for a change in the law on transgender issues.

Eastern Daily Press:

She is introducing a Parliamentary Private Members Bill today to ban biological males from entering single-sex spaces and prevent children from attempting to change their gender.

In the article, Ms Truss said she had been talking about the bill in a Norfolk cafe when a group of mothers "called out across the room".

The Conservative MP wrote: "They told me I must go ahead and address this vital issue.

"Every day, their daughters were facing the shock and embarrassment of boys using their toilets – once their own safe space.

"Teenage boys had been taking photos of girls over the tops of the cubicles – and the school had not dealt with it.

"I was horrified. Those girls' freedom and security were being endangered as a consequence of an extreme 'woke' ideology, which prioritises the gender a person proclaims themselves to be – often in the absence of all common sense – and which had allowed those boys to take advantage.

"It made me determined to champion the girls' cause."

READ MORE: Teachers facing attacks from parents over trans issues

A spokesman for Ms Truss said she would not reveal which school the parents had been talking about as it was "not appropriate".

In a statement, Ms Truss went on: "It has become clear that the law as it stands is not providing sufficient protection for young people or, indeed, adult women.

"Getting this law onto the statute book would not only safeguard the rights of women and protect the wellbeing of our children, but it would also be a significant victory for common sense."

A government spokeswoman said: “This government is clear of the fundamental importance of biological sex.

“The Equality Act already allows single-sex spaces to be restricted on the basis of sex where that is justified, and the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission) has published extensive guidance to support providers.

“NHS England is also making significant improvements to children’s gender identity services to protect children, including consulting on measures to severely restrict, the prescribing of puberty blockers to children aged 16 and under."

 

HOW DID LIZ TRUSS' BILL GET ON?

Ms Truss asked women and equalities minister Kemi Badenoch if she would back the bill, which is now expected to be debated in the Commons on March 15.

Ms Truss told the Commons: “First of all, it will be clear that single-sex spaces and sex as defined in the Equality Act is on the basis of biological sex. Secondly, what it will do is protect the under-18s from undergoing hormone treatment for gender dysphoria. It will also make sure the state doesn’t formally recognise social transitioning for the under-18s.”

Ms Badenoch said she supports any effort to clarify the law, adding: “No child is born in the wrong body and no child should be put on a medical pathway towards irreversible medical transition.”

The minister also told MPs that her review into whether sex should be defined as “biological sex” in law was aimed at preventing predators from “exploiting the loopholes” in existing legislation.