“Estava errado quando disse que ‘as mulheres trans são mulheres”, admitiu Wes Streeting, político do Labour Party, ex-funcionário da Stonewall (associação da Stonewall, parceira da ILGA Europa) e grande defensor da medicina de género em reação ao Cass Report.

Wes Streeting has dramatically ditched his hardline stance on gender, admitting it was a mistake to insist all trans women are women.

The Shadow Health Secretary said he “takes criticism on the chin” for previously arguing people should “get over” concerns – admitting “there are lots of complexities.”

The dramatic u-turn came in the wake of what the Labour leading light branded the “scandalous” findings of the Cass Review into how the NHS has treated gender-questioning kids.

Speaking to The Sun’s politics show Never Mind the Ballots, Mr Streeting admitted the controversial LGBTQ-rights group Stonewall – where he once worked – had got it wrong.

Asked if he stood by the organisations’ claim that “trans women are women, get over it”, he admitted “no”.

He added: “To the extent that – and I say this with some self criticism and reflection – if you’d asked me a few years ago, on this topic, I would have said trans men are men, trans women are women. Some people are trans, get over it. Let’s move on. This is all blown out of proportion.

“And now I sort of sit and reflect and think actually, there are lots of complexities.”

He went on: “I take the criticism on the chin. And at the same time, I also think that there’s been some absolutely ugly rhetoric directed towards trans people who are at the wrong end of all of statistics on hate crime, on self harm, suicide, mental health.”

The Shadow Health Secretary also insisted politicians have a “collective responsibility” to treat the debate in the same “thoughtful” and “sensitive” way Dr Hilary Cass did in her review of gender identity services.

The landmark report, published today, found children have been let down by a lack of research and evidence on the use of puberty blockers and hormones.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun’s show Mr Streeting backed the review as he hit out at the “scandalous” way children have been treated by the NHS, adding: “I think she (Hilary Cass) has done a really important piece of work.

“But I think it does raise some serious concerns that are pretty scandalous actually.

“I think we have got to ask ourselves: why is it that we have seen medical interventions that have been given on the basis of very weak evidence?

“How is it that clinicians have been silenced or afraid to come forward?

“Why is it that a group of young people who are extremely vulnerable are waiting years to access treatment?”

And in warning to those parts of the NHS that are refusing to heed the Cass review’s findings, he said he was “pretty angry” that despite the review being commissioned, NHS trusts are refusing to cooperate.

Mr Streeting went on: “I want to send a clear message to them that under a Labour government, there will be accountability and that you’re not going to get away with it.”

Asked to confirm that if Sir Keir Starmer gets into Number 10 the evidence-free approach won’t be coming back, the Shadow Health Secretary said: “We’re going to take an evidence-led approach to this.

“And there are also adults in this country have undergone gender reassignment who say it was a disaster, it has ruined their lives, it is irreversible now in terms of the consequences and they ask how did anyone let this happen?”

Dr Cass’s review found “the rationale was unclear” for prescribing controversial puberty blockers.

The leading paediatrician also said doctors should exercise extreme caution when giving children hormones of the opposite sex to help with their desire to transition.