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The firm - which is partly funded by the taxpayer - has changed its employee health insurance plans to include the gender reassignment care.

Lloyds confirmed the move and said it was committed to providing “increasing and inclusive support” for employees.

The bank was bailed out by the taxpayer in the 2008 recession with the Government taking a 43.4% stake of ownership.

This has since been reduced to just under 10%.

(Image: GETTY)

But despite being partly owned by the taxpayer, the group, which includes Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows, denied the latest scheme is coming out of the public’s wallet.

A spokesman said: “All colleagues are entitled to private health care and this is simply extending that scheme. There is no added cost and it is not coming from the taxpayer.”

The surgery will be provided via Bupa to any mainland UK permanent staff member subscribed to the group’s healthcare scheme.

(Image: GETTY)

Staff were told of the policy change on Thursday.

The spokesman added: “Lloyds Banking Group has today extended its private medical benefits service to include cover for gender dysphoria.

“The health and wellbeing of all our colleagues is of utmost importance to the group and we are committed to providing them with increasing and inclusive support.”

Karin Cook, Lloyds Banking Group director of operations, says staff will “be able to access healthcare much quicker than they would on any other health provision”.

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She said: “They could have a wait of up to 36 months (using another health provision) but through this private provision they will be able to do it an awful lot quicker.

“We want to be inclusive to all colleagues and we felt that our current healthcare provision was excluding certain conditions which were very important to people, particularly in the support for some of the mental health issues that colleagues suffer.

“So it was essential that we were able to extend that to cover to people with gender dysphoria.”

In 2015, the bank launched colleague and line manager guidance for employees who transition and allows employees to tick a non-binary option for gender on staff surveys.