ONS chief under fire for wearing trans badge
Britain's under-fire chief statistician has been condemned for wearing the 'flag of transgender activism' during her first address to staff.
Emma Rourke wore a badge depicting the trans-inclusive Pride banner as she spoke to workers at the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In 2023, the ONS was humiliated after it was forced to withdraw official statistics which massively inflated the number of trans people in the country.
The survey had found that one in 200 people over the age of 16 self-identified as a different gender, but it emerged that many people who did not speak fluent English had misunderstood the question.
The office has also been accused of producing misleading data on worklessness, which has made it harder for the Bank of England to control inflation.
Ms Rourke took over as acting national statistician earlier this year, after her predecessor retired through ill health.
Critics said her decision to wear the flag, which indicates a belief that there are more than two biological sexes and that transwomen are women, was an 'ostentatiously political move'.
Civil servants are expected to be impartial under the civil service code and uphold the Nolan Principles of public life, while earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled that transwomen were not legally women.
Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at women's rights charity Sex Matters, said: 'Wearing the flag of transgender activism during her first address to staff as acting national statistician is an ostentatiously political move by Emma Rourke.
'The civil service code tells civil servants to be impartial. Rourke's actions signal that when it comes to the clash between biological sex and self-defined 'gender identity', she has picked a side.
'Rourke also oversaw the disastrous question on gender identity in the 2021 census, which was worded to appeal to transgender activists and so incomprehensible to many respondents that the results have been classified as unreliable.
'Rourke's appointment as acting National Statistician suggests that the ONS has learnt little or nothing from the census debacle. It will also dishearten the many ONS employees who know that sex is a material fact, and that it matters in official statistics.'
The Progress Pride flag, updated to include intersex people in 2021, is based on the rainbow flag but adds other colours - pink, light blue and white - to specifically reference trans people.
Ms Rourke took over from Sir Ian Diamond who stepped down last month due to health issues.
Before that, she was deputy national statistician for health, population and methods, which meant she oversaw the ONS debacle on sex and gender identity.
At her first 'ONS Live' event for all ONS staff, Rourke said she had an 'uncomfortable message' for staff about Sir Robert Devereaux's forthcoming review into ONS culture, expected to be released imminently.
She said: 'It is likely to continue to be difficult for us as an organisation – we are experiencing ongoing challenges in being able to stabilise our suite of core statistics.'
A spokesman for the ONS said: 'ONS strives to be an inclusive organisation where everyone feels respected.
'We are proud to visibly support all our colleagues, who are delivering ONS statistics with utmost professionalism and impartiality.'
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