Kemi Badenoch praises BBC presenter over 'pregnant people' rebellion

Kemi Badenoch heaped praise on BBC presenter Martine Croxall this afternoon, after the newsreader refused to use the phrase 'pregnant people' yesterday. Ms Croxall was introducing a news segment on research around heatwave-related deaths, when she read out the phrase from the teleprompter before correcting 'people' to 'women'.

The clip went viral on social media yesterday, including receiving praise from Harry Potter author and women's rights campaign JK Rowling who said Ms Croxall had become her "now favourite BBC presenter". In a Q&A this afternoon, the Tory leader joined the chorus of praise for the BBC star and suggested it was yet more proof that Britain has gone beyond peak madness of the trans rights campaign. Ms Badenoch told the Policy Exchange think tank: "I think that the tide has turned on this issue."

"This is the end of the beginning and it will all work itself out. But it does require a lot of brave people continuing to challenge it.

"Just like the news presenter who refused to read the fake phrase she had been given on television.

She explained that while there is room for being kind in politics, it can't be at the expense of facts.

The Tory leader added: "If we teach our children that being kind is the most important thing, rather than doing the right thing and sometimes having to do tough things, then they will end up in a world where they don't want to experience any sort of conflict."

"Our tolerance for conflict as a society has sort of dropped to very very low levels. If you can't tolerate it then you'll end up in some really awful situations where conflict was the only way to resolve them."

Campaign group Seen in Journalism described it as "good to see accuracy on BBC News," while gender-critical commentator James Esses said: "The BBC is so utterly enthralled to gender ideology that it took a brave newsreader to correct the teleprompter instruction to say 'pregnant people' by instead saying 'women' afterwards. Let's hope she isn't cancelled for her rebellion."

Another user wrote: "Watch the eye roll as Martine Croxall realises 'Malcolm'/ the script team have tried to slip in 'pregnant people'! @BBCNews stop erasing the uniqueness of ONLY the female sex being capable of pregnancy."

Other responses included: "Take a bow Martine Croxall," "Well done @MartineBBC for standing up for women & girls AND biological science," and "Give Martine Croxall a pay rise #BBCNews."