On September 3, 2025, the UK’s LGBTQ+ community found itself at the center of a heated debate after Stonewall, the country’s largest LGBTQ+ rights charity, wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Their message? Deep concern over the appointment of Tim Allan as the government’s new executive director of communications. The move, coming on the heels of a major Number 10 reshuffle, has cast a spotlight on the government’s direction regarding transgender rights and inclusivity.
Tim Allan, a seasoned Labour communications strategist and former special advisor to Tony Blair, is no stranger to the corridors of power. He’s also known for founding Portland Communications, a public relations giant whose client list has included everyone from Heathrow Airport to defense group BAE Systems. But it’s Allan’s more recent role as a trustee of Sex Matters—a group advocating what it calls ‘clarity about sex in law, policy, and language’—that’s caused an uproar among LGBTQ+ advocates.
Sex Matters, as reported by PINK News and highlighted in Stonewall’s letter, has consistently promoted trans-exclusive policies. The organization’s principles are clear: “There are two sexes: female and male.” It has lobbied for the exclusion of trans people from single-sex spaces, a stance that aligns with the UK Supreme Court’s April 2025 ruling that the term ‘woman’ in UK law refers only to ‘biological women.’ This legal precedent, coupled with ongoing delays in legislation to ban conversion therapy and a live consultation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on the Statutory Code of Practice, has left many in the LGBTQ+ community feeling increasingly vulnerable.
Stonewall’s letter to Starmer didn’t mince words. The charity warned of “disproportionate and undue influence” over government messaging at a critical juncture for LGBTQ+ rights. The group pointed to the uncertainty these developments have sown, especially for trans individuals. “The appointment of Mr Allan to the heart of Government with responsibility for overseeing the tone, tenor and nature of its communications machinery raises questions about how your government will deliver its manifesto commitment to ‘remove indignities for trans people who deserve recognition and respect,’” Stonewall wrote, according to The Guardian.
In a particularly pointed section, Stonewall pressed the government to “re-build trust with the LGBTQ+ community; and that can only come from honesty and transparency.” The charity urged Starmer’s administration to meet with both trans-led and broader LGBTQ+ organizations to discuss any changes to the EHRC’s statutory guidance, emphasizing that engagement—not isolation—was the path forward.
The Good Law Project, a non-profit known for its advocacy on legal and social justice issues, echoed these anxieties in a widely shared Instagram post on August 25, 2025. “Keir Starmer’s new director of communications isn’t just the founder of Portland Communications—which represented Qatar, Russia and Kazakhstan—he’s also come straight from the board of the anti-trans charity Sex Matters. The government is heading in a dark direction,” the organization warned. Their post referenced not only Allan’s 11-month stint with Sex Matters but also Portland’s past PR contracts with controversial foreign governments, including a £200,000-a-year subcontract with Vladimir Putin’s administration starting in 2005. (It’s worth noting, as Financial Times reported, that there’s no evidence Allan ever met Putin personally.)
For his part, Allan has described Sex Matters as a “human rights charity which promotes clarity about sex in law, policy and language.” In April 2025, he publicly endorsed a Sex Matters blog post that criticized former equalities minister Penny Mordaunt for stating “trans women are women” and called the right of trans people to use gendered services under the 2010 Equality Act a “myth.” “Excellent document. Very clear legal history of the issue,” Allan wrote, according to PINK News.
Allan’s business background is also under scrutiny. Before selling his 95 percent stake in Portland Communications for nearly £40 million in a series of deals between 2012 and 2019, Allan’s clients included heavyweights such as William Hill and Heathrow Airport. He reportedly resigned from all directorships and other interests upon his appointment to the government, following Cabinet Office advice. One former colleague described him as a “brilliant strategist” and “good leader” who inspired loyalty among his team.
The timing of Allan’s appointment has added fuel to the fire. Labour’s 2024 manifesto included a commitment to implementing “single-sex exceptions” to the 2010 Equality Act, a move that would see trans people excluded from gendered spaces consistent with their gender identity. In April 2025, the Prime Minister’s office issued a statement clarifying Starmer’s stance: “No, the Supreme Court judgement has made clear that when looking at the Equality Act, a woman is a biological woman.” This marked a notable shift from previous Labour messaging and has been interpreted by advocacy groups as a signal of the party’s alignment with more restrictive interpretations of gender and sex in law.
The political calculus here is complex. On one hand, Labour’s leadership may see the embrace of ‘clarity’ around sex and gender as a way to appeal to certain segments of the electorate concerned about women’s rights and single-sex spaces. On the other hand, LGBTQ+ advocates argue that this approach comes at the direct expense of trans people’s dignity and safety. Stonewall’s letter crystallized this tension: “The LGBTQ+ community is increasingly feeling isolated.” The group’s call for government transparency and dialogue is, at its core, a plea for recognition and respect in the policy-making process.
Meanwhile, critics from the left and within the LGBTQ+ community see Allan’s appointment as indicative of a broader shift away from trans inclusivity. They point to the slow progress on banning conversion therapy—a policy pledge that has languished—and the chilling effect of the Supreme Court’s April ruling on the legal recognition of trans people. For these advocates, the government’s current trajectory represents not just a policy disagreement, but a fundamental question about the future of LGBTQ+ rights in Britain.
Supporters of Allan, including some former colleagues and Labour insiders, counter that his strategic acumen and experience in both government and business make him uniquely qualified for the communications role. They argue that his resignation from Sex Matters and all other directorships demonstrates a commitment to impartiality in his new post. Still, the optics of the appointment—and the backdrop of an increasingly fraught national conversation on gender—mean that trust will not be easily rebuilt.
As the debate continues, one thing is clear: the appointment of Tim Allan has become a flashpoint for broader anxieties about the UK government’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights. Whether this moment leads to renewed dialogue and progress, or further division and distrust, remains to be seen. For now, Stonewall’s call for honesty, transparency, and engagement stands as a challenge to the government—and a rallying cry for those demanding recognition and respect.
