Labour unions boycott party’s women’s conference after trans women excluded

Labour unions say they will boycott the party's women's conference after it was revealed transgender individuals would be excluded.

Some of Andy Burnham's biggest backers, including Unison, Aslef and Usdaw, confirmed they would not attend the September event after the party banned trans women from formal proceedings.

Formal proceedings include speeches, main hall speeches and policy debates.

Biological men are permitted to attend the event as a spectator and engage in informal proceedings.

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Last year, Labour cancelled the Liverpool event entirely after the Supreme Court passed the landmark judgement that gender was determined by biological sex.

Unison, with around 1.44 million members, is responsible for a staggering £44million in party donations over the past 25 years.

But the Labour Party abiding by the legal ruling appears to be the final straw for the organisation.

"The union’s decided against sending a delegation to Labour women’s conference this year," a spokesman for the union declared.

‘This is because the party’s restrictions on access run counter to Union's policy on trans equality.’

Shop workers’ union Usdaw, the party's second largest backer, has also railed against the "exclusion".

Over the course of the 2024 General Election, Usdaw splashed more than £500,000 on Labour, while Unison handed almost triple the sum.

A spokesman confirmed: "The union’s decided against sending a delegation to Labour women’s conference this year.

"This is because the party has excluded trans women, which runs counter to Usdaw’s policy on trans equality."

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Aslef, which represents 22,000 train drivers across the nation - and is responsible for a series of strike action bringint the capital to a standstill, confirmed their absence with the paper.

Labour made the decision to "exclude" biological men, who choose to identify as trans women, following the Supreme Court ruling.

Since the judicial decision, Labour has been pressured to release trans guidance to businesses and establishments across Britain.

Still, Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson is yet to release a comprehensive set of advice for how bosses should treat single-sex spaces, including toilets and changing rooms.

But the party has faced fury from both sides of the debate over the trans guidance.

The decision to ban trans women from the conference fuelled fury from LGBT groups, with Labour for Trans Rights declaring they were "disappointed" by the decision.

"For decades, trans women members have had a home in Labour’s structures, and it’s not acceptable that they’re being so blatantly excluded," a spokesman said.

"The trade union movement – including the Labour-affiliated unions – have been incredible allies to the trans community.

"We hope that they’ll continue to use their influence in the Party to shift the new government towards a far more inclusive position."

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