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Andy Burnham could have his “absolutely bonkers” statement on women’s spaces come back to haunt him after a clip was unearthed where the would-be PM said it was a “minority view” that biological males cannot use female toilets.

Mr Burnham is widely expected to try and oust Sir Keir Starmer from Number 10 in a Labour leadership battle if he wins the Makerfield by-election on June 12, so he can return to Westminster as an MP.

But the departing Mayor of Manchester hasn’t had an easy ride so far as rival candidate West Streeting threw a Brexit bomb into the mix, saying the UK should re-join the EU under Labour. Makerfield, in Greater Manchester, firmly voted ‘leave’ in 2016 and Mr Burnham has been keen to distance himself from any talk of closer ties with Europe.

But now leaked footage exposed by the Daily Mail has shown Mr Burnham discussing trans rights with Manchester’s ‘youth combined authority’ in 2022. When asked whether men who self-identify as women should be able to use women’s toilets, Mr Burnham said he did not think it was a “majority view” that biological men should be stopped using them, instead arguing it was a “minority view”.

His message is at odds with the Supreme Court judgment from April 16, 2025, which ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. Women do not have to share spaces with biological males who identify as women.

Discussing the unearthed new comments from Mr Burnham on today’s Daily Espresso podcast, Express Assistant Editor JJ Anisiobi called them “absolutely bonkers”.

Watch the award-winning Daily Espresso podcast on YouTube here.

Daily Express columnist Carole Malone was sifting through the statement alongside JJ, and she said: “This is a bloke deciding what all men can do, just go where you like, just do what you like.

“He was also very dismissive of the women who’ve been fighting for single sex spaces, who called them “supposed” feminists, trying to start a culture war.

“He also said this business of women and men having separate… single sex spaces… he called that a “minority view”.”

As JJ laughed at the statement, Carole added: “I think he’s going to find out in Makerfield that it’s not a minority view there, I suspect there will have very strong views on biological men using women’s toilets, and invading women’s safe spaces.”

“Absolutely,” JJ said.

According to the Daily Mail report Mr Burnham responded to a question on men using women’s spaces by telling the 2022 meeting: “Clearly there is a group of people who do feel that toilets should be a safe space only for women and there should not be anyone biologically a male ‘ allowed in that space. I don’t think that’s a majority view. I think it’s a minority view and quite a small minority view, actually.”

He added later: “I am going to make it really plain: I support trans rights and I want that to be known. I want to say this loud and clear, don’t start culture wars in Greater Manchester because we are not interested in it.

“I don’t want to see people standing up for trans rights and people supposedly standing up for women’s rights arguing on the streets of Manchester. That’s not what we’re about.”

Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at sex-based rights charity Sex Matters, told the Mail Mr Burnham’s comments “reveal a lack of understanding”.

She added: ‘Any politician who aspires to be prime minister needs to have a better grasp of what voters want than to think that fringe trans activist views are mainstream.