01 May 2025 , 06:13
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CEO affirms policy revision as companies adapt to conform with the recent Supreme Court decision
The boss of Barclays has said the bank will prohibit trans women from using female bathrooms in its buildings in the wake of the recent supreme court ruling.
The bank’s chief executive, CS Venkatakrishnan, told reporters that the group would not allow trans women to use female bathrooms, to ensure that it complies with the law.
The UK supreme court ruled earlier in April that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act referred only to a biological woman and to biological sex.
Venkatakrishnan said on a media call: “Following the supreme court ruling … we believe that we have to comply with that by not allowing trans women to use female bathrooms.
“We strive in every way to make the appropriate facilities available in a comfortable way for people to use and to provide equality of opportunities and development.”
After the court ruling, the UK’s equalities watchdog issued interim guidance that trans women “should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities” in workplaces or public-facing services such as shops and hospitals, with the same applicable to trans men using men’s toilets.
However, the Equality and Human Rights Commission also insisted that trans men and women should not be left without access to facilities. The watchdog is working on a more detailed code of practice that it aims to hand to the government by June for ministerial approval.
Barclays is one of the first companies to announce a change to its bathroom policy after the court decision, as organisations review their approach to comply with the ruling.
Britain’s first transgender judge, Victoria McCloud, has said she will take the UK to the European court of human rights over the supreme court ruling. She intends to bring action for infringement of her article 6 rights, which guarantee the right to a fair trial in both criminal and civil matters in the European convention on human rights (ECHR).
The move by Barclays comes weeks after the lender scrapped its gender and ethnicity targets for US staff, joining the ranks of UK companies that have bowed to Donald Trump’s anti-diversity drive.
Managers at the bank’s US arm will no longer have to consider how recruitment and promotions advance the careers of women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, traditionally overlooked in the banking sector.
Venkatakrishnan made the decision after a review of its approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, which started in late 2024.
On Wednesday, the bank’s boss insisted it was committed to equality and equal opportunities. “There should be an inclusive working environment where everybody should be comfortable and have the best form of personal expression,” Venkatakrishnan said.
Barclays reported a 19% rise in pre-tax profits to £2.72bn for the three months to the end of March, as it set aside more cash for bad debts in the face of “heightened uncertainty” about the US economy and a global trade war.
World Affairs Correspondent