Hundreds of Labour women are planning to cut up their membership cards as the party moves to formalise its policy of allowing transgender people onto all-women shortlists. The NEC’s equalities subcommittee yesterday approved a draft statement on the issue which sparked bitter division among the party’s activists. The measure will now go before the full NEC, where it is expected to be passed. It reads:

“The Labour Party continues to have an inclusive definition of women. In line with the Party’s policy on the Gender Recognition Act, All Women Shortlists and women’s reserved places are open to self-defining women.”

Labour has been allowing gender self-defined candidates onto all-women shortlists for some time – this just puts it in the rulebook. Controversially, the ruling could be used to allow transgender women to join the party’s internal women-only groups and programmes, for example, the influential women’s bloc in the PLP, women’s conference, and access training provided by the Labour Women’s Network and Jo Cox Women in Leadership. Top Shadow Cabinet Corbynistas including Dawn Butler are backing the move. It has outraged many feminists who have long felt at home in the Labour Party…

A crowdfunded campaign, “keep all women shortlists female“, has so far raised more than £25,000 to combat the proposal. Meanwhile, several Labour activists are threatening to take legal action. One group has written:

“Our solicitors have, today, sent our pre-action protocol and submissions letter to the Labour Party in respect of the definition of ‘woman’ for protected positions and all-women shortlists.”

Meanwhile a campaign group called Mayday4Women says hundreds of Labour women will leave the party in a coordinated protest. All of this puts Corbyn in a difficult position. In January he said:

“The position of the party is that where you have self-identified as a woman, then you are treated as a woman”

On those who oppose this, Corbyn said he would “talk to them and see if we can find some way forward.” He hasn’t…



See also: Labour Suspend Campaigner to Keep All Women Shortlists Real Over “Women Don’t Have Dicks” Tweet