We welcome the Labour Party’s decision to change its policies in light of the Supreme Court’s clarification of the meaning of sex in the Equality Act 2010. We now call upon the Government to show leadership and instruct all public bodies, including local authorities, government departments and NHS Trusts and Health Boards, to follow our Party’s example and update their equality policies with immediate effect. There is no need to wait for the new EHRC guidance. The law is the law. It has been confirmed by the highest court in the land, and this is not going to change.

It was agreed at Labour’s NEC meeting on Tuesday 20 May that all positive action measures for women will be interpreted as applying to biological women only.

All current arrangements to ensure women are not under-represented in the Party will now use that definition, rather than self-identification (which has not been Labour legislative policy since July 2023). This will affect not just all women shortlists (where applicable), but also the many other essential measures in place, such as 50% quotas for selection of candidates for council elections and MSP and MS candidate lists, national and regional conference delegates, women’s officers and memberships of women’s branches.

The NEC paper clearly sets out the lawfulness of this action whilst also confirming that protections for those with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment remain unchanged.

However, the postponement of this National Women’s Conference 2025 “pending a wider review of positive action measures” is short-sighted and wrong. Many other women in the Party share our dismay at this decision.

The Annual Women’s Conference is constitutionally the policy-making Party event which focuses on issues specifically affecting women. As a result of this postponement, women members have been denied the right to put forward two conference policy motions to this year’s Annual Conference and to elect new representatives on the National Women’s Committee, which is constitutionally responsible for overseeing the overall direction of the Labour Party Women’s Organisation, including the Annual Labour Party Women’s Conference.

Along with many women in the Party, both within and beyond our own networks, we continue to call for a two-day stand-alone annual policy-making Women’s Conference to be held each Spring, in line with our Party’s rule book: “There shall be an Annual Labour Party Women’s Conference which shall wherever practicable be held in the spring”.

As we stated last year, together with numerous others, the current set-up of a one-day conference added on to the beginning of the National Conference is not satisfactory and puts additional burden on women delegates, many of whom are also delegates to the four-day National Conference. A Women’s Conference in Spring allows policy proposals to be considered and incorporated into the National Policy Forum Conference in July.

We have written to General Secretary Hollie Ridley seeking confirmation that the postponed Women’s Conference will be rescheduled no later than the end of June 2026, in order to fulfil its proper role in contributing to the Party’s policy-making cycle. We also call on the Party to strengthen the resourcing of the National Women’s Committee, which is currently under supported and clearly not fully able to fulfil its constitutional role. We believe the Committee was not consulted over the postponement of its conference.

The absence of the democratic process for women this year, as a result of this postponement, is appalling and fails to recognise the importance of women’s voices within the Labour Party. The Party must now address this as a matter of urgency.

What can party members do to support the above? 

1. Members can write to General Secretary of the party, Hollie Ridley, hollie_ridley@labour.org.uk welcoming the policy decisions in response to the Supreme Court judgment, but expressing their disagreement with the decision to postpone Conference, making reference to the party rule book. Chapt. 11A, clause 5, point 8
   The Labour Party Women’s Conference shall be entitled to send up to two policy motions to the subsequent Annual Conference, which will be automatically be [sic] timetabled for debate and not subject to the Annual Conference priorities ballot, one of which shall be chosen by delegates from CLPs, and one of [which] shall be chosen by delegates from affiliated organisations at the end of Labour Party Women’s Conference. Only motions passed by Labour Party Women’s Conference shall be eligible to be sent to Annual Conference.
2. Write to NEC Members (as above)
3. Write to your MP, if they are a Labour Party member (as above)
4. Discuss in your Women’s Branches
5. Bring a motion to your CLP or women’s branch. We have an example draft motion below:

This constituency notes:

• our Party rule book states that “Women’s Conference enables our women members to better participate in policy making and offers the opportunity to share ideas with delegates from across the country,” which includes AWC having the right to take two motions to Annual Conference, putting Labour Women’s priorities on policy to the whole Party,
• the conference also plays a vital part in elections to NWC and WCAC,
• the decision of the NEC on 20/05/25 to indefinitely postpone Women’s conference.

This constituency believes:

• that this decision is against the democratic principles of the Party,
• that the self-organisation of woman members is a right that the Party must uphold,
• that any costs (financial or political) that arise from holding women’s conference are the costs of democracy and must be borne by the party,

This constituency resolves:

• that we call on the NEC to commit to a policy-making Women’s Conference in Spring 2026, in order to fulfil its proper role in contributing to the Party’s policy-making cycle.