Labour event you can’t go to if you’re a straight white non-disabled man

LABOUR was condemned last night for banning white, able-bodied, heterosexual men from an event.

An advert for a Young Labour equalities conference in London next month said those wanting to attend must be under 27 and ‘self-define’ as a member of ‘one or more’ of four groups.

These are BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic), disabled, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender) and women.

Andrew Bridgen, the Tory MP for North West Leicestershire, wrote to the Equality and Human Rights Commission last night asking it to investigate whether the entry rules amounted to discrimination.

He said: ‘The Labour Party are no longer about equality or fighting against discrimination – have been entirely taken over by identity politics and specific groups of activists. They are a divisive party who want to put people into victim groups.

‘They seem to believe that white, male heterosexuals have nothing to contribute to the subject of equalities.’

He added: ‘ It seems that in La La Labour land everyone is equal but some are more equal than others.’

The row over the London Labour event comes weeks after the party was forced to back down on a deal offering people from ethnic minorities a discount to attend an East Midlands conference.

Members of the party’s BAME wing were offered tickets to the event for £30 – £10 cheaper than for other party members.

Mr Bridgen complained to the Equality and Human Rights Commission at the time, describing it as a ‘racial surcharge’. Labour later withdrew the subsidised tickets.

Responding to the latest case, Conservative Party deputy chairman James Cleverly said: ‘This is yet another example of discrimination by Labour.

‘ Their lazy assumption that straight white men can’t fight for equality is shocking. It is essential that political parties represent each and every person irrespective of race, sexuality or age.

‘The Labour Party should take action now to ensure that this discrimination comes to an end.’

A spokesman for Labour said: ‘ There is nothing new about spaces for people with protected characteristics meeting to discuss the inequalities and obstacles they face.

‘The purpose of this conference is to ensure that members from disadvantaged groups are able to elect representatives to Young Labour’s national committee.

‘All other positions on the committee are elected online, via a one-member-one-vote system.’

The party said that in previous years there had been an annual Young Labour conference open to all young members, where all representatives on the national committee were elected.

At the conference, ‘equalities caucuses’ would elect the positions of women’s, BAME, disabled and LGBT representatives.

Young Labour now fills its committee positions via online voting, but its equalities representatives cannot be voted for in this way because the party does not have the relevant data on members’ identity. It must therefore hold a conference.

Labour said given that the main purpose of the conference is to hold these elections, there would be no benefit to someone attending who could not vote in any of those elections.

‘Some more equal than others’