Transgender columnist Paris Lees, who is the first out trans woman to appear on the BBC’s flagship debate show Question Time, put every second to good use in an appearance last night.

The panellist spoke on a number of issues including Brexit and the Cambridge Analytica scandal and captivated the audience with an impassioned speech on transgender rights.

An audience member had asked about a campaign to ban trans women from standing on all women shortlists in the Labour Party. In response, Paris Lees hit out at the consistent negative media coverage of trans people.

She said: “Trans people are less than one percent of the population, but it seems like we’re in the headlines every single day. You’d be forgiven for thinking we’re responsible for all of the world’s ills. Constantly, trans people are framed as the problem: we’re causing these huge problems for the rest of society and the sky is going to fall in. But all of the evidence suggests the complete opposite is true."

Asked whether she supported trans women standing on All Women Shortlists, Labour’s Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti simply said “yes.” She added: “I am a feminist and I’m a member of a feminist party, but I am not the sex or gender police. Maybe I’m not woman enough for some people’s taste but I call myself a woman.

“Maybe I’m not British enough for some people’s taste but I am British. I am not going to be policing the boundaries between sex and gender or telling any woman that she is not welcome. The Labour Party is an inclusive party where hundreds of thousands of people come together to stand up against discrimination and oppression, and that’s why I think we’ve got it right on this.”