Lisa Nandy could not have been more wrong when she waded into the transgender debate this week. The Labour MP, who has been criticised by JK Rowling over her stance on trans rights, said that ‘when we look at the way we reduce the debate to things like bodily parts, I think when we look back in history we will be utterly ashamed of ourselves.’

Those of us who understand that human beings have bodies, and those bodies matter, have no need to feel ashamed of anything, now or in the future. Men and women have a sex and, in some contexts, we need separate services because of that sex. What’s more, our children need to know that they cannot change their sex. These are the truths that we have known since the dawn of time. Unfortunately too many politicians and policy makers have been blinded to them.

Nandy said that criticism from JK Rowling broke her heart

The Tories are not immune from criticism; it was a Conservative chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, Maria Miller, who started the self-ID debate in parliament, and a Tory prime minister, Theresa May, who pledged to deliver it. More recently the party has prevaricated over a potential conversion therapy bill that many fear could prevent normal exploratory therapy.

Under the present government, common sense has prevailed – at least on these matters. But what would have happened under Labour? Shortly after the last election, five newly elected Labour MPs jiggled on the stairs to show their support for trans rights. Nandy might be a little too grown-up for such embarrassing behaviour, but her ideas – expressed at an event in Westminster – are hardly much more developed:

‘I don’t think we should end up in an oppositional relationship where we’re talking about some of the most marginalised, discriminated against women and girls on the planet and we can’t have that debate, because there’s a genuine conversation to be had about the rights of transgender people and the protection of safe spaces and hard-fought rights for women.’

Firstly, transgender people are not the most marginalised and discriminated against. Some of us are doing rather well for ourselves thanks. There are, of course, some countries where trans people face persecution. But in the UK, and other western nations, we have the same rights as everyone else and a few more besides. So while Nandy is right that there needs to be a conversation about this issue, any solution must not come at the expense of other vulnerable groups.

Nandy went on to plead for less heat and more light in the trans debate. It’s a pity that she hasn’t followed the lead of groups like Woman’s Place UK that have campaigned to uphold the rights of women while welcoming transgender people to their meetings and – indeed – their platforms. Instead, Nandy is accused by Rowling of having signed a pledge card that branded WPUK a ‘trans-exclusionist hate group’.

The shadow minister for International Development remarked that such criticism from the Harry Potter author broke her heart. This is strange language from a politician. Perhaps Nandy might instead consider why Rowling opened her mouth and pay more attention to the perfectly sensible things Rowling has actually said, rather than the mud that is slung as a result. .

It is looking increasingly likely that Nandy will be a cabinet minister after the next election and her party will be returned to government with a thumping majority. Will Labour learn from the mistakes of the Tories – and indeed the SNP government north of the border? If so, they must maintain the line that women’s rights are non-negotiable and children must be taught the truth that they cannot choose to grow up to be men, women or perhaps something else. Or will they cave into an activist lobby that seems to think that biology does not matter? If so, the fear is that they will force hare-brained schemes through parliament and women will pay the price. Voters cannot say they were not warned.