Steph Richards, a 74-year-old trans woman and former Labour women's officer, has been banned from the party's women's conference in Liverpool this September after Labour voted last year to exclude trans women from formal proceedings. The decision follows a Supreme Court ruling that the term 'women' in the Equality Act refers to biological sex at birth.
Background and previous support
Richards joined the Portsmouth Labour branch in 2018 and attended the women's conference in 2022. She was later appointed women's officer, organised marches against violence against women and girls, and campaigned for a Women's Health Hub in Portsmouth. In 2023, she received an Inspirational Woman of Portsmouth Award. Labour selected her from an all-women shortlist to stand as a candidate in Fratton ward for the 2024 local elections.
Richards said: 'I remember getting an email from the General Secretary at that time, which ended with the words “equality for all”. I’m sure at that time Labour Party was the party of equality. I don’t think that’s the case anymore.'
Rule change and impact
In December last year, Labour's National Executive Committee voted to ban trans women from taking part in formal proceedings at the women's conference, including main hall speeches and policy debates. This followed the Supreme Court ruling that a gender recognition certificate does not make a person legally a woman in respect of single-sex spaces. Four powerful Labour unions – Unison, Aslef, Usdaw, and the Musicians' Union – are boycotting the event over the ban.
Richards, who holds a gender recognition certificate and is post-operative, said: 'I’m appalled if I’m really honest. I deserve to be a delegate there. I’ve done everything to make me happy as a woman and I get treated like this. One year the Labour Party are telling me, “Steph, you’re a woman”, and literally two years later, they’re saying, “you’re a man, and you’re banned”.'
Expertise lost
Richards, who served as CEO of Endometriosis South Coast and later as parliamentary adviser for the charity, said the conference will miss out on her expertise on women's health issues, including pregnancy, baby loss, and violence against women and girls. She was forced to quit as parliamentary adviser in April 2026 after backlash from former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who said it was 'remarkable that a charity established to advocate for women’s health would appoint a man, without female anatomy or experience of this disease, to speak for those whose suffering is defined by their sex'.
Trans women will still be able to attend fringe events, which Richards described as 'pathetic', consisting of 'about half a dozen stalls about not even necessarily around women’s issues'. She added: 'In other words, you’re an outsider.'
Labour's response
A Labour Party spokesperson said: 'Labour is committed to advancing women in politics and to providing opportunities for all members to network, debate and contribute. Labour’s Women’s Conference reflects our commitment to addressing the underrepresentation of women in the Party, inclusion for all, and compliance with the law.'
