The UK minister is calling on sport to review inclusion policies to ensure fairness in women's sport

UK Sports Minister Lucy Frazer has said that all sporting bodies in the country should carefully review their rules for transgender athletes taking part in women's sports to ensure fairness.

Global governing bodies for cricket, cycling, athletics, swimming and chess have in recent years tightened their rules for transgender players to compete in elite women's competitions.

Several British sports bodies, including the Football Association, allow transgender athletes to take part in women's sports if they have reduced testosterone levels. In December, a group of British MPs called on the English Football Association to ban transgender players from participating in women's football while global soccer body FIFA reviews its eligibility guidelines.

Frazer was asked about the issue in a discussion on Sky News about the powers the government's proposed independent football regulator would have.

“I would encourage competitive sport to look at this very carefully,” Frazer said.

“I think it's very important that women are able to compete with women, and there's an inherent injustice in having a competitive advantage if you're not biologically female.”

“A number of sports have looked at this very carefully and have concluded that it is not appropriate to have women compete against people who are not biologically women.”

Critics of transgender inclusion in women's sports say male puberty gives athletes a huge musculoskeletal advantage that is not diminished by transitioning.

LGBT advocacy groups say excluding trans athletes amounts to discrimination and that not enough research has been done on the impact of transitioning on athletic performance.

The Sunday Telegraph reported at the weekend that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was considering an overhaul of Britain's equality laws, including to “protect” women's sport.