Appointment of new top aide by Eluned Morgan questioned by women's rights group

Martin Shipton

A gender critical women’s group has questioned Eluned Morgan’s decision to appoint a prominent advocate of trans rights as her new chief of staff.

Luke Young is taking over the role from former Caerphilly MP Wayne David, who has left for health reasons.

Mr Young is a former campaigns, policy and research manager with Stonewall, the LGBT organisation that has been at the forefront of the campaign to allow people to self-identify their gender.

He then worked as head of policy and communications for Jeremy Miles MS, who is currently the Cabinet Secretary for Health, later managing his unsuccessful bid to be elected Welsh Labour leader.

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Head of communications

A former head of communications for Welsh Labour, Mr Young has latterly been working as head of policy for Citizens Advice.

Many have congratulated him via his LinkedIn profile page on his new appointment as the First Minister's chief special adviser.

But Cathy Larkman, a director of the Women’s Rights Network and Wales WRN lead said: "The Senedd election of 2026 is likely to be the most consequential election in Wales since devolution. Current polling indicates that Labour are likely to lose many seats as a result of rapidly falling confidence from the Welsh electorate. Welsh women are no exception to this abject loss of confidence in those meant to lead us. We have seen this government take a sledgehammer to women’s rights, all in the name of allowing self identification of sex and permitting men into women’s single sex spaces and services.

"It is interesting to say the least that the First Minister has adopted an ex-Stonewall employee and self-professed advocate for ‘trans rights’ to this senior post as her chief special adviser. The promotion of what is often incorrectly termed a ‘right’ of men to self identify into women’s single sex spaces and services has clashed with women’s right to privacy, dignity and safety in those very spaces and services. Trans people already have the same rights as anyone else has, but our rights as women must be respected. Her chief special adviser will need to re-appraise himself quickly if he is to have any credibility in ensuring that the First Minister also respects women’s rights and is not just paying lip service to them.

"The Supreme Court agree. They ruled in a historic judgment on April 16 this year that ‘man’, ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 had their ordinary biological meanings – not the self identification definition favoured by Welsh Labour. This confirms what women’s groups like ours have been telling the Welsh Government all along. We have not been listened to by our own government, who ploughed on regardless.

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'Wait'

She added:"Despite Eluned Morgan saying she would comply with the law, the approach of her government right now is to simply kick the can down the road and ‘wait’ for the outcome of an EHRC consultation on the Supreme Court judgment at some point in the future. The EHRC guidance will not change the law however and the law has primacy here.

"It is now 100 days since that judgment and there has been no change to Welsh Government policies, including a blatantly problematic HR guide to employers, which states that anyone can opt in to the single sex toilets and facilities of their choice. This means that other public bodies in Wales are following that dubious lead, including some health boards, which are permitting men to self identify into women’s single sex wards and are also ‘waiting’ for EHRC guidance. They do not need to wait. The law is the law.

"We have made it very clear to the First Minister, in a recent meeting with her Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Jane Hutt, that their approach of ‘waiting’ and doing absolutely nothing to be legally compliant is just not good enough. It’s an appalling position to take and leaves them open to legal action. They are still not listening however. It’s an appallingly cloth-eared position to take and is disrespectful to the highest court in the land, and to the women and girls of Wales."

The Welsh Government said: “We are considering the steps required to ensure we meet our obligations under the Equality Act 2010 as clarified by the ruling, and we will comply with the forthcoming EHRC Code of Practice.”