Labour postpones women’s conference over Supreme Court transgender ruling

Labour has postponed its women’s conference because of the risk of protests and legal challenge following the Supreme Court ruling on gender.

The party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) voted on Tuesday to postpone the event, which was due to take place in September, pending a review.

A leaked advice paper had recommended postponing it because the “only legally defensible alternative” would be to restrict attendance to biological women.

The NEC also decided to extend the terms of those serving on the National Labour Women’s Committee until a conference takes place and elections can be held.

A Labour Party spokesperson said the party must make sure all its procedures “comply with the Supreme Court’s clear ruling” and that it would make any changes required with “sensitivity and care”.

The Supreme Court ruled in April that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the 2010 Equality Act “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.

The party will interpret measures relating to women on the basis of biological sex at birth, it is understood.

Labour had previously operated its “positive action” measures on the basis of self-identification, allowing transgender women to take part.

A leaked advice paper produced for the NEC meeting recommended postponing the women’s conference on September 27 because “there is a significant risk of legal challenge to the event as it currently operates” and “there may be protests, direct action and heightened security risks” if it goes ahead.

That could carry a “political risk” of overshadowing the party’s showcase autumn conference which begins the following day.

The recommendation in the paper was to postpone the women’s conference pending a wider review of positive action measures.

The paper also says the party should issue guidance to make clear that all-women shortlists can only apply to “applicants who were biologically female at birth”.

Labour did not use all-women shortlists at the last general election.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Like all other organisations, the Labour Party must ensure all party procedures comply with the Supreme Court’s clear ruling.

“Labour is clear that everyone in our society deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

“The party will work closely with individuals and local parties to implement the necessary changes with sensitivity and care.”

It is understood Labour will respect the Supreme Court judgment and comply with statutory guidance when it is published.

Ministers will consider the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s code of practice when a draft is submitted by the body.

The Labour for Trans Rights group, along with Pride in Labour and LGBT+ Labour’s trans officer, Georgia Meadows, condemned the NEC paper and its recommendations.

They said: “It is a blatant attack on trans rights and is seemingly an attempt to isolate trans people even further within the Labour Party and the labour movement more widely.”

The Labour Women’s Declaration group, which backs “sex-based rights”, said cancelling the conference would be a “knee-jerk reaction”.

A spokesperson told the LabourList website: “We are shocked that hundreds of women in the Labour Party might be prevented from meeting at conference because the NEC would prefer to disadvantage all women rather than to exclude the very small number of trans-identified men who may wish to attend the women’s conference.”