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Jeremy Corbyn intervened today in Labour's escalating row over what positions transgender women should hold in the party.

The Labour leader said clearly that trans women should be treated as women - therefore signalling they should be allowed on all-women shortlists.

It's a debate in the party that began when Lily Madigan, a transgender female teenager, was elected as a women's officer for her local Labour party last year.

Since then the row has widened into one about all-women candidate shortlists, with a group of activists raising £20,000 in a bid to exclude trans women from them.

A leader of the campaign, Jennifer James, said she was suspended from Labour yesterday for saying "women don't have d***s".

Commenting on the row today, Mr Corbyn told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "The position of the party is that where you have self-identified as a woman, then you are treated as a woman.

"These people have been through a big decision, a big process, with trauma. Let's look at the human beings in front of us."

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

(Image: Lily Madigan/Wikipedia)

Trans Labour activists argue quite simply that they are women and deserve to be treated no differently to any other woman.

Those on the other side say there are specific posts for LGBT officers and all-women shortlists should be "reserved for females".

Mr Corbyn said he was not ignoring the concerns of activists who are against trans women joining all-women shortlists, and was happy to meet with them.

Mr Corbyn said he would talk with feminist groups with concerns "and see if we can find some way forward".

But he added: "My mind is that I look at the person in front of me. That's their identification, that should be respected."

Meanwhile David Lidington , Theresa May's de facto deputy prime minister, said the Government is still looking at plans to let people "self-define" their legal gender without a long medical process.

Doubts had been raised over the plan after its pioneer, Education Secretary Justine Greening, was ousted from the government in a Cabinet reshuffle.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: REUTERS)

Mr Lidington said: "It was one of the issues that (ditched Education Secretary) Justine (Greening) was talking about putting out to public consultation and that is still the case."

Mr Lidington insisted a trans woman should be treated as a woman - despite appearing to avoid questions over whether he personally believed trans women were women.

Hauled up on his previous votes against LGBT rights, including gay marriage, Mr Lidington said: "I’ve come at it from a traditional Christian point of view.

"My own view has changed on that looking at how gay friends of mine were really affected for the better.

"I would not vote against civil partnerships and that sort of recognition today."

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

And asked about whether a trans woman is a woman, Mr Lidington said: "I think that that's a matter for her, she should be treated as a woman but to be honest I don't spend time sort of perhaps thinking about this.

"I would try to deal with the person in front of me as they are with respect to that person whatever their background however they describe themselves."

He added: "Once you try to categorise people put them in pigeonholes, you get into all sorts of difficulties."

In a wide ranging interview with the BBC, Mr Corbyn also said Labour would make 8,000 homes available immediately for rough sleepers.

He added he would give councils the powers to seize homes that are deliberately left empty.

He also struggled to name anything positive that had been achieved by capitalism, and said he would not be introducing a Chinese economy into Britain.