Trans women will not be allowed to attend main Labour Women's Conference events

Trans women will not be allowed to attend the main session of Labour's Women's Conference next year. After the Supreme Court ruled in April that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law, it follows a legal investigation into how the event should be carried out. Trans women will not be allowed to participate in formal proceedings, including speeches in the main hall and policy debates, but will be able to attend fringe events, which will be open to all regardless of their sex. According to reports, the party finds the design to be the least restrictive way of balancing accessibility and compliance with the legislation.

The Women's Conference, which is normally held the day before the party's annual conference in the same location, was cancelled in 2025 after the party sought legal assistance in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision. Labour had allowed people to self-identify as a woman prior to this decision, allowing trans women to attend the festival and also participate in positive change activities such as all-women shortlists. Following the Supreme Court's decision, Labour conducted a comprehensive legal review of the rules surrounding its women's conference, according to a spokesperson, before announcing that the 2026 event will proceed with new attendance limits in a place.

This honor honors our pledge to combating the underrepresentation of women in the party and compliance with the legislation,

the spokesperson continued. It comes as the government continues to consider a new code of conduct in light of the decision and advice that was sent to public agencies and businesses on how to use the Equality Act. The code has been redrafted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and it has been submitted to the government for ministerial approval before being accepted. Bridget Phillipson, the equality minister, was sent the proposal three months ago but said she'd take the time to get it right before releasing it. The EHRC under its new leadership has pressed the government to sign off on the recommendations as soon as possible. Baroness Falkner, the outgoing EHRC leader, told the Times she was not positive of the guidance's legitimacy, and that one explanation for the delay was that the government was terrified of their MPs who want to see trans-identification or trans representation in all sectors of society. According to her, the delay had led to the establishment of a grey zone in single-sex spaces.

Some businesses are implementing [the decision] in a certain way, but others are not,

Baroness Falkner said.

Labour's statement follows the publication of a new order by two high-profile organisations in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision. The Women's Institute announced earlier this week that it would no longer provide membership to transgender people. Trans girls will no longer be allowed to join girl guide groups, according to the UK's girlguiding group a day earlier.