Labour bars trans women from main women’s conference in 2026
Transgender women will be banned from the main hall at Labor’s women’s conference next year and will also be denied the right to vote, Labor has said.
The party has ruled that transgender women can only attend side events, which are seen as an effort to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the legal definition of a woman.
The decision means trans women will not be allowed to vote in policy debates, motions and national women’s committee elections, or hear speeches and debates in the main auditorium at the event, which takes place before the party’s annual conference in Liverpool.
It appears they will still be able to attend the evening reception, side events, and exhibit areas, as first reported by . Workers List.
It was reported that alternative proposals, including the complete cancellation of the conference, were also evaluated. But the cancellation of this year’s women’s conference sparked outrage from campaigners critical of both trans inclusion and gender equality.
There is currently no clear guidance on single-sex spaces for organisations, after equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said it would take the time necessary to “get it right”.
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) had previously written to Ms Phillipson, who is also the education secretary, urging her to hurry to introduce the new guidance and warning that some organizations were currently using illegal practices.
The law has not been updated since 2011 and the latest draft follows the Supreme Court ruling in April that the words “woman” and “gender” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
A spokesperson for the Labor Party for Trans Rights group said: Workers List She said the exclusion and exclusion of trans women was “horrible.”
“Transgender members are being excluded from Labour’s democratic processes, while many have served for years, knocked on doors and stood as candidates,” they added.
A spokesperson for the Working Women’s Declaration, a gender-critical group, said the group welcomed the party’s decision to “abide by the law” but said it should go further and say trans women should not attend single-sex or specifically female-focused workshops.
It comes after the Women’s Institute announced it would ban transgender women from taking part from April next year, saying it had “no choice” following the Supreme Court ruling.
Also this week, Girlguiding announced it would ban trans girls from participating.
A Labor spokesperson said: “The National Women’s Conference will be held in 2026 following a comprehensive legal review. This reflects our determination to address women’s under-representation in the party and to comply with the law.”
