Trans women will be barred from the main part of Labour’s women’s conference next year, the party has said, with entrance to the main conference hall and voting rights denied.
All delegates will be allowed to attend a fringe programme, under the party’s plans as Labour seeks to find a compromise position it believes will comply with the supreme court’s ruling on gender – while also being inclusive to trans delegates.
The decision, first reported by LabourList, means trans women will be barred from voting on policy debates, motions and national women’s committee elections – and from hearing speeches in the main conference hall.
Alongside the fringe programme, LabourList said a planned evening reception would be open to all – as will exhibition spaces.
A Labour for Trans Rights group spokesperson told LabourList the move was “terrible”, urging the party’s national executive committee to reconsider.
They said: “Trans members are being cut out of the democratic processes of the Labour party when many have given years of service, knocking doors and standing as candidates.”
A spokesperson for the gender-critical group Labour Women’s Declaration said: “A one-day, rather than a two-day, women’s conference tacked on to Labour’s annual conference is not ideal. But it’s better than no women’s conference.”
The group welcomed the party’s “decision earlier this year to follow the Equality Act in all its internal positive action processes for women, and its decision last week to do the same with the women’s conference”.
It added: “Opening up the rest of the 2026 women’s conference, such as the reception and exhibition to everyone – regardless of sex, will need to be evaluated after the event by the party and participants.”
The party cancelled this year’s event, which was due to take place before the party’s annual conference in Liverpool in September, as it awaited full guidance from the equalities watchdog on the supreme court decision.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s interim advice suggested voluntary organisations should apply the biological women-only rule.
A Labour party spokesperson said: “National women’s conference will be held in 2026 after a comprehensive legal review. This reflects our commitment to addressing the underrepresentation of women in the party and compliance with the law.”
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The former head of the human rights watchdog accused Labour of abandoning women over issues such as gender rights and sex grooming gangs.
The crossbench peer Kishwer Falkner said the party had lost touch with its “fundamental values” and could no longer call itself the party of equality and feminism.
Lady Falkner of Margravine told the Times the government’s failure to publish statutory guidance after the supreme court’s ruling was because ministers were “terrified of their MPs” who wanted “trans self-identification” across all of society.
In response to Falkner’s comments, a government spokesperson told the Times: “We are unapologetic about taking the time to produce legally sound guidance that will guide businesses and organisations and ensure they have the safety and dignity they deserve; the alternative – issuing rushed and flawed guidance – would be utterly catastrophic and fail women across our country.”
