Labour members evenly split over approach to trans rights, poll finds

Labour members are evenly split over the government’s approach to trans rights in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, a poll for LabourList has revealed.

According to a poll conducted by Survation of Labour members who read LabourList, released in partnership with Metro, 43% said the government was right to say trans women should be excluded from women-only spaces based on their biological sex, while 40% disagreed with the government’s stance.

The narrow lead for those backing the government’s approach falls within the poll’s margin of error, indicating the membership is effectively split down the middle on the issue.

In April, the Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex, leading to debate about what the decision’s implications should mean for workplaces, public services and other organisations.

Support for the government’s position was greatest among female Labour members, by a margin of 45% to 38%, compared to male members who were marginally opposed (42% to 41%).

Opposition to the government’s stance was strongest among members aged between 25 and 34 (66%), while support was greatest among those aged 65 and over (51%).

It comes as new guidance from the party is issued to CLPs and branches not to submit motions that call on Labour to take an “unlawful position” with respect to the Supreme Court judgement.

In a FAQ section on Labour’s website relating to the judgement, the party said: “Any discussion of the Supreme Court judgement must be conducted with sensitivity, respect and compassion. Behaviour that does not reflect our shared values as a party and may breach our rules or codes of conduct will be dealt with via the party’s complaints procedures.”

‘Many trans and ally members have felt compelled to resign from Labour’

Alex Charilaou, co-chair of the campaign group Labour for Trans Rights and a candidate on the Trans Rights Alliance slate for LGBT+ Labour’s committee elections, said: “It’s encouraging to see a strong majority of members under 45 stand in solidarity with the trans community.

“The fact that the membership as a whole is split down the middle on the issue speaks to the divisive way the leadership has handled trans rights, and the fact that so many trans and ally members have felt so compelled to resign from the Labour Party.”

Georgia Meadows, LGBT+ Labour’s trans officer, told the Metro that there is a growing disconnect between the party’s leadership, members and voters on the issue of trans rights.

“A lot of the membership is trans-supportive, or at the least, neutral on the issue. Very few are overtly transphobic, who are loud and well-funded.”

READ MORE: LGBT+ Labour suspends AGM amid fears of legal action over trans candidates running for women’s roles

‘Labour politicians need to pay heed to this’

The poll’s findings come amid a split among the Parliamentary Labour Party on the issue, with the Sunday Times reporting that some Labour MPs have pushed back against the ruling of the Supreme Court.

The newspaper reported that work and pensions minister Andrew Western told constituents that he appreciated the “fear and distress that has resulted” from the ruling, while Cannock Chase MP Josh Newbury is reported to have said it was “clear… that trans women are women and that trans men are men”. 

A spokeswoman for Labour Women’s Declaration, a group that advocates for the protection of women’s sex-based rights in relation to policies on gender identity, welcomed that a majority of members, especially women, back the party’s stance and said: “Labour politicians need to pay heed to this. The government is taking correct positions, for example, in calling for organisations to “get on with” implementing the ruling, but is not making this clear to its own politicians.

“We call on our Labour government to show leadership in this matter to those vocal Labour parliamentarians who are still refusing to accept the legal clarity of the ruling and have been demonstrating a clear ignorance of the law.”

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Damian Lyons Lowe, chief executive of Survation, said: “In the wake of the Supreme Court decision, these results underline just how evenly balanced opinion is among Labour members on this issue. With neither side holding a clear majority – we’re reminded that debates on trans rights remain among the most polarising within the party.”

The poll is the latest in a series of regular polls LabourList is publishing in partnership with leading pollsters Survation, a member of the British Polling Council and a Market Research Society Partner.

Survation surveyed 1,304 readers of LabourList, the leading dedicated newsletter and news and comment website for Labour supporters, who also said they were Labour Party members between May 30 and June 1.

Data was weighted to the profile of party members by age, sex, region and 2020 Labour leadership vote, targets for which were derived from the British Election Study and the results of the 2020 leadership election.

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