Labour braced for trans row
Conference to debate gender language
SCOTS Labour leader Anas Sarwar is braced for a divisive culture war row at his party conference over trans and women’s rights.
Activists have urged the party to follow the lead of Sir Keir Starmer who said women are “adult females” – a phrase offensive to the trans community. Scottish and UK Labour have taken different positions on Holyrood legislation that would have made it easier for trans people to change gender. Sarwar and most of his MSPs backed a gender recognition reform Bill later sunk in the courts.
Starmer was more cautious and cited concerns about the proposals.
The split reflects wider divisions in the party and society, with sceptics believing gender “self-ID” is a threat to women’s rights. Tensions will be revived at next week’s Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow.
A motion by the Women’s Committee backs Starmer over Sarwar: “We urge Scottish Labour to acknowledge the principle of women’s sex-based rights. We recommend that Scottish Labour leadership follow Keir Starmer’s lead and openly recognise women as adult human females.
“Women and girls are at certain material disadvantages compared to men, in particular in relation to sexual violence. As a result, civilised societies, including the UK with the Equality Act 2010, have single sex spaces for women in a state of physical or emotional vulnerability including, but not exclusive to, toilets, changing rooms, healthcare facilities, prisons, refuges, most sports, and trauma counselling.
“Women’s and girls’ sexuality and fertility are vulnerable to exploitation including pornography, prostitution, commercialised egg donation and commercialised surrogacy.”
It added: “When Holyrood Parliament and its committees discuss regulation and legislation that impacts on women, women’s voices as a sex class must be heard openly, with respect and without intimidation.
“With a UK election approaching and Holyrood elections scheduled for 2026 we recommend Scottish Labour acknowledge women’s existence as a sex and encourage positive debate within the Labour Party.”
One party source was critical of the motion, saying: “It is trans exclusionary.”
Other senior Scottish Labour figures have been privately critical of Sarwar’s support for the self-ID law in 2022.
One said the SNP/Green government proposals were a “total mess” and described Labour’s backing as a political “mis-step”.
women’s voices as a sex class must be heard MOTION FOR CONFERENCE