The candidates’ commitment to a fully-funded Women’s Conference will build a stronger party

By Kathryn Perera / @kathrynperera

At last night’s Labour leadership hustings (organised by the Fabian Women’s Network and the Lead4Women campaign), we asked the candidates:

“Will you commit to restoring a full funded annual Labour Party Women’s Conference with policy making powers?”

David, Ed, Diane and Ed all gave their express support to the proposal (Andy didn’t say ‘no’, but didn’t cover the point in his response – perhaps he’ll clarify his position for us today).

This is great news. Since the general election, Labour has seen a resurgence in grassroots activism across the board and nowhere more so than within the Labour women’s movement. Many of us were frustrated at the low profile of women during the election campaign; that frustration quickly turned to anger, particularly as the unequal gender impact of the coalition’s cuts became clear. Women-focused campaigns have sprung up across the party, from the high-profile Lead4Women campaign, to the successful fight against rape anonymity legislation and the Movement4Change’s training sessions focused on women and the cuts.

It’s now time to draw these disparate movements together. Annual Labour Women’s Conferences have their roots in the earliest days of the Labour movement. They provided a central platform for policy development from the 1920s onwards. When it came to taking a lead on equality issues, such as All-Women Shortlists and the selection of people from under-represented groups for winnable seats, the annual Women’s Conferences formed a vital link across the party. They also supported leading figures such as Clare Short, who often had to battle entrenched thinking at the very top of the party.

Conferences, of course, do not need to be large-scale jamborees with expensive parties and venues. What matters is bringing people together to debate and find new ways of thinking. But without adequate funding, and the objective of making binding policy decisions, there is a real danger that any future Women’s Conference will prove unsustainable.

While in recent years there have been occasional large events (such as this summer’s one-day meeting in Leeds), the commitment to a fully-funded Women’s Conference with ‘real teeth’ had fallen off the party’s internal agenda. That’s why last night’s express commitment from the leadership candidates is particularly welcome. It is a commitment we must ensure they keep.