Preston residents do not think children should be free to choose their gender

That’s according to a nationwide poll of 21,000 people carried out by the publisher UnHerd in association with pollster FocalData, which found that more than a third of the British public support the rights of transgender children.

But Unherd said the results show the debate about gender is far from resolved.

Participants were asked how much they agreed with the statement "it is acceptable for adolescent children to make their own decisions about their gender identity".

The responses were then analysed to create a model for each constituency, based on the characteristics of people living there, including age, voting record and employment status.

Of the three parliamentary constituencies that are in or cross over into Preston, the one considered the most supportive of gender for freedom for children was Preston – 37 per cent agreed, compared to 27 per cent who did not, with the rest undecided.

Of these, 11 per cent strongly agree with the statement, while 26 per cent said they simply agree.

At the other end of the scale was Wyre and Preston North.

Here, just 36 per cent of people were pro-trans rights, compared to 35 per cent who were not.

The constituencies were ranked based on how many agree versus disagree, with the top ranking being considered the most supportive of gender freedom.

Preston placed 158th out of 632 constituencies – not including the 18 in Northern Ireland – while Wyre and Preston North came in at 469th.

Across Britain as a whole, 37 per cent of people think children should be able to make decisions about their gender, 30 per cent do not, and 33 per cent do not have an opinion either way.

Bethnal Green and Bow, in London, was the most supportive, with 52 per cent agreeing and 15 per cent disagreeing.

Only seven constituencies had more than half of people in agreement.

James Kirkup, from Unherd, said the poll showed public opinion on the issue did not follow conventional party lines, with traditional Labour and Conservative areas both split.

He said: "The politics of transgenderism are under-explored for several reasons. Politicians’ timidity in the face of activists’ ferocity is one big factor.

"But there’s another – that it’s a fiendishly complex issue that doesn’t fit easily into the narratives and categories that structure so much of British political debate.

"This poll shows that the debate about gender in 21st-century Britain is not just unresolved. It has yet to even begin in earnest."

The results and rankings for each constituency in Preston are:

158) Preston: 37 per cent agree, 27 per cent disagree

385) Fylde: 36 per cent agree, 32 per cent disagree

469) Wyre and Preston North: 36 per cent agree, 35 per cent disagree