A prominent campaigner and activist has today lost a 25-year battle against the UK government over not allowing gender neutral passports.
After having spent over two decades campaigning to achieve legal and social recognition for non-gendered identity, Christie Elan-Cane – who personally identifies as non-gendered – has said that requiring people to say if they are male or female on application forms breaches human rights laws, and so, brought a case to the UK’s highest court in the latest round of a legal battle for ‘X’ passports.
Challenging the policy administered by Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO), Elan-Cane argued that the application process requiring individuals to indicate their gender is unlawful.
However in a judgment this morning, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the appeal.
The President of the Supreme Court, Lord Reed, found that Elan-Cane’s interest in being issued with an ‘X’ passport was “outweighed” by other considerations – including “maintaining a coherent approach across government” as to what genders are recognised.
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Judgment has been handed down this morning in the case of R (on the application of Elan-Cane) (Appellant) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) – UKSC 2020/0081https://t.co/lyXSlPELCipic.twitter.com/uvrIG3R5fo
Lord Reed said in the ruling: “The form is concerned with the applicants’ gender as a biographical detail which can be used to confirm their identity by checking it against the birth, adoption or gender recognition certificates provided and other official records [and] it is therefore the gender recognised for legal purposes and recorded in those documents which is relevant.”
He continued: “There is no legislation in the United Kingdom which recognises a non-gendered category of individuals.
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“On the contrary, legislation across the statute book assumes that all individuals can be categorised as belonging to one of two sexes or genders, terms which have been used interchangeably.”
Back in March 2020, appeal court judges ruled the right for a gender neutral passport was “beyond argument” – but said government did not breach the law.
Following today’s ruling, Elan-Cane tweeted: “The UK government and judicial system are on the wrong side of history.
“This is not the end – we are going to Strasbourg.”
The French city of Strasbourg, as referred to by Elan-Cane, is home to the European Court of Human Rights – which Britain is still a member of – and if this action goes ahead, it is said that it would allow “more scope” on how to interpret rulings and legislation.
‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
The Manc -
15th December 2021 
