Four major unions will not send delegations after Labour decided to bar trans women from the conference's main sessions.
The annual Labour Women's Conference, held on the eve of the party's main conference in September and aimed at boosting women's participation in policy, will restrict its central hall to biological women. Labour says the measure, which excludes trans women from votes, keynote speeches and policy debates in the main session while allowing trans attendance at fringe meetings, is intended as the least restrictive way to preserve access and comply with laws introduced in April last year.
The change follows a unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court in April 2025 that, for the purposes of equalities law, a woman is defined by biological sex. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission then issued guidance, approved by ministers, which described a trans woman as a biological male who identifies as a woman and said trans people should not use single-sex spaces. Labour's governing body, the National Executive Committee, interpreted references to "woman" or "women" on the basis of biological sex and, according to a leaked NEC paper, concluded the only legally defensible alternative would be to limit attendance to biological women.
Four unions have confirmed they will boycott the event, first reported in Metro, with Unison, Usdaw, Aslef and the Musicians' Union saying they will not send delegations. The BBC understands the party's decision conflicts with long-standing trans-inclusion policies across most Labour-affiliated unions, some of which are actively campaigning for a change in the law.
A Unison spokesperson said, "The union has decided against sending a delegation to Labour women's conference this year," and added, "Unison's policy is that trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. The union is campaigning for a change in the law in line with this policy."
A Labour Party spokesman said, "Labour is committed to advancing women in politics and to providing opportunities for all members to network, debate and contribute. Labour's Women's Conference reflects our commitment to addressing the under-representation of women in the party, inclusion for all, and compliance with the law."
The immediate impact is a reduced union presence at this year's central sessions. The BBC says a wider boycott remains possible, given the mismatch between the party's approach and union equality policies, and the dispute adds another point of friction between Labour and its affiliated unions ahead of the September conference.
