Conservatives deny claims of new laws banning children from changing gender at school

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The government has dismissed claims that it is preparing new legislation which would ban children from changing gender at school.

Kemi Badenoch has dismissed reports that such laws are being drafted in Downing Street, describing them as "a legally incoherent and silly story of the season".

This comes ahead of government plans to consult on draft guidelines for schools in England regarding children changing ant of sex.

Equality Minister Ms Badenoch said last week she 'cannot go into detail' about the plan at this stage, but hinted that schools could be asked to inform parents if pupils question their gender. line, Ms Bandenoch said:

"This is a legally incoherent and dumb season story. It didn't come from anyone in my departments or from No10 working on equality policy.

"I know there is a lot of interest in this area but please wait for the facts. If it doesn't come directly from me, it probably isn't accurate!"

The report said officials were preparing legislation to be included in the King's Speech.

The Independent contacted the Government Equalities Office, which the minister heads, to clarify claims in the article that Ms Badenoch rejected, but a department spokesman said he would not go into detail about the guidance.

Last week the minister rejected the concerns that forcing schools to report children to parents would amount to 'unmasking' them as trans, telling the BBC:

"The point is it's not a trivial thing; it's very different from sexual orientation and what's fair is that parents know what's going on with their children at school."