UK Labour Party bars trans women from 2026 women’s conference

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The Labour Party in the United Kingdom will ban transgender women from attending its Women’s Conference next year, following a legal review triggered by April’s Supreme Court ruling that “sex” in the Equality Act refers to biological sex rather than self-identified gender.

According to GB News on Saturday, the party’s National Executive Committee approved the change on Friday

It means biological males who identify as female will no longer be permitted to attend keynote speeches, take part in policy debates or vote on motions and committee elections.

They will still be allowed to visit exhibition spaces, attend fringe meetings and join an evening reception when delegates gather in Liverpool.

A Labour spokesman said: “The National Women’s Conference will be held in 2026 after a comprehensive legal review. This reflects our commitment to addressing the under-representation of women in the party and compliance with the law.”

The move has triggered strong resistance from Labour for Trans Rights, which urged the NEC to reverse what it called a “terrible” decision. “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,” the group told The Telegraph.

At the same time, Labour is facing scathing criticism from Baroness Falkner of Margravine, who stepped down last week as chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

She argued the party has capitulated on women’s rights in the face of internal pressure.

“What really depresses me about the current state of the Labour Party is that they seem to have completely abandoned women’s rights.

“The traditional party of rights, in my 50 years in this country, was the Labour Party. The party of feminism,” she said.

Baroness Falkner said Labour had “lost it” and was “terrified of their MPs” on transgender issues. She also accused ministers of refusing to publish statutory EHRC guidance on implementing the Supreme Court’s ruling because they fear a backlash from the party’s own backbenches.

“The other explanation simply is that they’re terrified of their MPs who would wish for trans self-identification or trans inclusion to prevail across all areas of society, including Section 3 of the Equality Act, and would wish for the exemptions not to exist,” she told The Times.

The guidance, submitted three months ago, remains unpublished. Baroness Falkner insisted it was watertight: “I’m so certain of the lawfulness of our code that I don’t think I’ve ever been so certain about anything before.”

The government said it was taking the necessary time to ensure the document is robust. A spokesman said: “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.”

Baroness Falkner also attacked Labour’s record on tackling grooming gangs, arguing it had failed the most vulnerable women and girls. She cited Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s review, which found disproportionate numbers of Asian men were responsible for child sexual exploitation.

“When you have Louise Casey having to remind us that there is something profoundly wrong with the fact that it happens in pockets of society where predominantly my co-nationals, Pakistani men, are there, why were the women and girls so misbelieved?

“You would have expected this traditional party to be standing up for women and girls, particularly the most oppressed, the most vulnerable. And it took Louise Casey to remind them of that,” she said.

Tosin, with over six years' experience, conducts incisive interviews, pens engaging features, subedits and delivers impactful stories for the digital sphere.

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