UK Labour Party women's conference boycotted by major trade unions

Four of the UK’s largest trade unions – Unison, ASLEF, USDAW and the Musicians’ Union – announced they will boycott the Labour Party’s women’s conference scheduled for September. The boycott follows the party’s decision to exclude trans women from formal proceedings, a policy the unions say contradicts their commitments to trans equality. The move comes after a Supreme Court ruling that defined gender on the basis of biological sex, prompting Labour to bar trans women from speeches, debates and policy discussions while allowing them to attend as spectators.

Unison, which contributes the bulk of union donations to Labour, described the restriction as “run counter to Unison’s policy on trans equality.” USDAW and ASLEF echoed the sentiment, stating that the exclusion undermines the parties’ stated commitment to women’s rights. The unions will still permit trans participants to attend fringe events, but they will not send delegations to the main conference floor.