Hundreds of women Labour members are planning to quit the party if its ruling body confirms that men who believe they are female can stand on all-women shortlists for parliamentary candidates.

The threat comes after Labour’s equality committee announced last week that ‘all-women shortlists and women’s reserved places are open to self-defining women’.

About 200 women members now plan to quit if Labour’s National Executive Committee make it an official policy.

A campaign group, known as MayDay 4 Women, has drawn up a resignation statement, which 100 Labour women members have put their names to and a further 100 have signed anonymously.

'Not listened to': Activist Venice Allan

The letter, which will be sent to the NEC if it publicly backs the opening up of the shortlists, states: ‘Self-definition – “I am what I say I am” – absolutely reeks of male supremacy. We cannot continue to be in a party that takes women for granted.’

Venice Allan is a signatory. In January this year she was suspended from Labour amid transphobia accusations after posting comments online such as ‘transwomen are men’.

Last night Ms Allan said: ‘I’ve been a Corbyn supporter from the beginning, but women in the Labour Party are just at the end of their tether about this. We’re not being listened to and as a result Labour is losing its female members.’

The row is evidence of a growing split within the Labour Party over transgender women – who were born male – being permitted to take on positions reserved for women.