ASLEF has reaffirmed its boycott of Labour’s Women’s Conference in Liverpool, saying its delegates voted against attending because trans women cannot take part in the conference’s main proceedings. The dispute has prompted a wider show of trade union solidarity on the day of the event.
The train drivers’ union said in a post on Saturday that its Annual Assembly of Delegates had voted to boycott the conference. “ASLEF has a proud history of championing the rights of trans women and non-binary people,” it said.
The statement followed a Labour Unions post describing a joint solidarity event that morning. Labour Unions said representatives of all 11 unions had stood alongside the trans and non-binary community. The post establishes support for that event; it does not mean all 11 unions have boycotted the conference.
A dispute over participation
Labour’s National Annual Women’s Conference is taking place in Liverpool on Saturday 26 September, ahead of the party’s main annual conference.
Under the arrangements for this year’s event, trans women are excluded from the main conference proceedings, including the debates and votes that give delegates a role in party decisions. They may attend fringe events and other areas outside those proceedings. That distinction matters: the disagreement concerns participation as delegates, rather than access to every event taking place around the conference.
ASLEF is among the unions that had already decided against sending a delegation. Unison, Usdaw and the Musicians’ Union were also reported to have taken that position earlier this summer. Saturday’s ASLEF statement restates its decision as the conference gets under way.
Labour’s position
The dispute follows the Supreme Court’s 2025 judgment on the meaning of “woman” in the Equality Act 2010. Labour says it must ensure its procedures comply with the law. In its published guidance to members, the party says that, pending a review of its positive action measures, references to women in party procedures are interpreted on the basis of biological sex. It also says the changes must be implemented with sensitivity and care, and warns members against making assumptions about anyone’s eligibility.
Those who support the conference rules argue that its formal debates and votes should be reserved for women under that legal interpretation. Labour Women’s Declaration has criticised the union boycott and defended the party’s approach. The boycotting unions argue that excluding trans women from those proceedings denies members who previously participated a voice in Labour’s women’s structures.
Labour postponed its 2025 Women’s Conference while reviewing its procedures. Its return this year has brought the unresolved question of trans members’ participation into focus at the start of conference weekend. ASLEF’s boycott leaves one of Labour’s affiliated unions outside the formal proceedings, even as union representatives continue to make their case elsewhere in Liverpool.
