Labour’s new gender: ‘self-defining women’

JEREMY Corbyn was at the centre of a row last night after introducing a new category of ‘self-defining women’ in Labour elections in response to pressure from transgender rights supporters.

The new rule applies to party activists aged up to 27 who want to compete for 11 elected posts on the party’s Young Labour wing. The official Labour HQ notice on who can stand declares that six places on the party’s regional youth board are reserved for a ‘self-defining woman’ candidate while four are open to any young (party) member. A further five places on the Young Labour’s national committee are also restricted to the self-defining women category, with six left open for any young members.

The party’s election guidance explains: ‘Where eligibility is restricted to self-defining women, this means that anyone who self-defines as a woman is eligible to stand for these positions. Young members who do not self-define as a woman will not be eligible. You must indicate whether you self-define as a woman when you complete the online nomination form.’

One veteran Labour MP, who declined to be named, said: ‘It is madness. Apart from anything else, it is demeaning to the vast majority of women. Even more bizarre, it appears to discriminate against women who might wish to self-define as men. The Labour Party seems to have abolished the term “woman” and replaced it with “self-defining women”.’

The move was disclosed 24 hours after equalities spokeswoman Dawn Butler said trans would-be Labour MPs could be fast-tracked into the Commons via the party’s allwomen shortlist policy.

She said she backed considering including trans-women in femaleonly candidate selections – an automatic process in safe Labour areas – if they applied.