Britain’s largest bank has pledged “solidarity” with its transgender staff after the Supreme Court ruled that trans women are not legally women under discrimination law.

Executives at Lloyds bank, which counts one in two British adults as customers, have backed transgender staff, saying they would support them during this “very tough time”.

The Telegraph reports: It comes as businesses across Britain wrestle with the implications of a landmark Supreme Court judgment this week that ruled laws against sex-based discrimination should only apply to biological women.

The decision will herald a raft of changes around female-only spaces, and businesses are now grappling with how it will affect their female and transgender staff.

Hours after the judgment, Andrew Walton, Lloyds’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, posted on the bank’s intranet to say the lender would back its trans staff following the “unsettling” day.

“Thought I would come on here today with a note of support for our trans and non-binary colleagues on what I know will be an unsettling day following the UK Supreme Court decision,” he wrote on Lloyds’s Rainbow network, the bank’s internal group for LGBTQ+ people, according to messages reviewed by the Telegraph.

“Please know that we cherish and celebrate you and we remain committed to inclusivity. If you’re a line manager, please be mindful of the potential impact on members of your team and be available to them. We are here to listen and support.”

Sharon Doherty, the Chief People and Places Officer at Lloyds, said in response to Mr Walton’s post: “Very well said. … Standing in solidarity at this very tough time.”

Both Mr Walton and Ms Doherty are among the most senior leaders at the bank, sitting on a 14-person executive committee headed by Charlie Nunn, the Chief Executive.

A former Lloyds employee who saw the messages but wishes to remain anonymous criticised the two executives for wading into the trans debate without presenting a balanced approach.

“If you are the Chief People Officer this is a political matter which has very strong feelings on both ideas,” they said.

“It is risky. What about the women who are fighting for their rights? Employers should look after everybody.”