LONDON — The UK government plans to publish new guidance on single-sex spaces next month, after local elections in England and national elections in Scotland and Wales on 7 May. Election rules prevent the government from making further announcements on the matter at this time, according to a written statement.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission submitted an updated draft of its Code of Practice on Monday. The commission had been redrafting the code following the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act. In the case For Women Scotland, decided in April last year, the Supreme Court determined that the terms "sex," "man" and "woman" relate to biological sex for equality law in England, Scotland and Wales. The ruling also clarified that protections for trans people were contained within the Equality Act.

A first draft of the updated code was submitted for approval in September and has since undergone changes. Equality and Human Rights Commission chair Dr. Mary-Ann Stephenson said the latest amendments were made after receiving a "narrow set of comments" from the government and after considering consultation responses and legal advice.

Stephenson said the amendments would ensure "all service users are treated with dignity and respect, in line with the Equality Act." The commission's Code of Practice provides guidance for how public bodies and service providers should interpret the Equality Act 2010.

The government stated its support for the use of single-sex spaces based on biological sex and said it was taking urgent action to lay the guidance before Parliament after the elections. The House of Commons does not return after the elections until the State Opening of Parliament on 13 May and then breaks for recess on 21 May.

After the new code is approved by the government, it will be laid before Parliament for 40 days. The code becomes statutory unless either MPs or the House of Lords pass a motion to reject it during that period.

A leaked draft of the guidance in November said that trans people could be asked about whether they should be accessing single-sex services based on their physical appearance or behavior. Maya Forstater, CEO of Sex Matters, said the length of time taken to publish the new guidance was causing harm to women.

Trans rights campaigner Alex Parmar-Yee said: "The only workable solution is to protect the norm of trans-inclusive provision across the country, in line with international human rights standards and Labour's own promises to the trans community."