Thread by @ShahrarAli

Lords currently debating #Amendment214 "Sex-specific incarceration for violent and sexual offenders". Lord Blencathra spoke of mixed sex policy of @MoJGovUK & "erasure" of women as sex class. Baroness Brinton argued amendment "redundant" & not based in facts on ground. #PCSCBill

Lord Morrow arguing that amendment seeks to preserve basic dignity of women without which risk of breaching their Art.3 right. Baroness Meyer arguing against Brinton that a small number is a number and law should protect all & birth sex must always be recorded. #Amendment214

Lord Pannick arguing #Amendment214 would undermine GRC of trans inmates. Baroness Fox @Fox_Claire says wherever one stands on general issue of transgender rights, we are only talking here of convicted sex offenders in context of prison policy where "obviously a clash of rights".

Baroness Chakrabati deploying a "hypothetical lift" in which she would feel more threatened by a "cis-woman, white supremacist" than a noble man when trapped with both. But this thought experiment seems too contrived & question-begging.

Baroness Falkner sets down marker on imperative for debate then speaks of need to protect single-sex spaces for female prisoners as "profound duty" on state. Best speech so far, warning against bad reasoning based on numbers or personal anecdote. @KishwerFalkner #Amendment214

"I continue to listen & continue to try & understand views of people on all sides" @brianpaddick starting on empathetic all-inclusive note as reason not to condemn those he may have just heard who he might disagree with but may have agreed once before realising error of his ways.

Challenging a false inference @Fox_Claire tells Paddick, "It's not because we are ignorant or haven't got out enough," that we might disagree with you as not all trans people conform to received orthodoxy.

Lord Falconer sounding like a bit of an operator - picking & mixing best bits of others' speeches to suit his purposes when they probably wouldn't all agree with his conclusion. Then again he was close confidant of Blair years @LordCFalconer

Outcome of this debate, Blencathra would like to withdraw but seek to accommodate greater balancing of rights drawn attention to during debate, with specific reference to Falkner (not Falconer).