“If as a matter of law, a service provider is required to provide services previously limited to women also to trans women with a GRC, even if they present as biological men, it is difficult to see how they can then justify refusing to provide those services also to biological men and who also look like biological men.”

Women’s rights groups and prominent campaigners, including author J.K Rowling, responded to the decision with jubilation.

The Harry Potter author said on social media platform X: “It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they’ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK ... I’m so proud to know you”.

But Amnesty International UK described the ruling as “disappointing” with “potentially concerning consequences for trans people”.

The decision could have wide-ranging implications for single-sex services and facilities across the UK, including in healthcare, education, and sport.

The UK government welcomed the judgment, describing it as a move that brings “clarity and confidence for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs”, and that it reaffirmed that “single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government”.

Employment law experts say the ruling will have major practical consequences, warning that employers may need to review HR policies, particularly those relating to access to single-sex facilities.

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World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe described the decision as “common sense” and said it would help “support women, in places for them that really matter.” The sport’s governing body already bars transgender women who have undergone male puberty from competing in female categories.

Reaction from Scottish leaders was more circumspect. First Minister John Swinney said the government accepted the ruling and would “engage on the implications... Protecting the rights of all will underpin our actions”.

But Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman called the ruling “deeply concerning for human rights” and “a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society”.

Vic Valentine, manager of Scottish Trans, warned the decision “undercuts the central purpose of the Gender Recognition Act” and criticised the court for not hearing from any trans individuals in a case that “is all about trans people”.

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