Liberal Democrats block debate on excluding trans women from quotas

The Liberal Democrats have voted to block a proposed debate on whether trans women should be excluded from diversity quotas reserved for women.

The motion, brought forward by Dr Zoe Hollowood of the campaign group Liberal Democrat Voice for Women, sought to update party policy following a recent Supreme Court ruling that clarified the legal definition of “woman” as biological sex under the Equality Act 2010. Dr Hollowood argued that including trans women in quotas for women’s representation was unlawful and undermined efforts to address the underrepresentation of biological women in party roles.

However, the motion was dismissed before it could be debated or voted on, following a procedural intervention led by Lucas North, treasurer of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats. North described the motion as a “sham” and urged members to reject the notion that “trans identities are up for debate.” Their call was supported by a two-to-one majority in a vote held at the party’s annual conference in Bournemouth.

“The motion misrepresents the legal position, runs contrary to our values, and seeks to put us at odds with our longstanding support for LGBT+ people,” North said. They argued that removing the motion entirely was preferable to voting it down, to avoid “platforming transphobic views” and legitimising what they called “bigotry in the name of a small and extremist faction”.

Dr Hollowood, in response, accused the party of suppressing free speech and warned that censorship of dissenting views could lead to “violence and tyranny.” She referenced the recent arrest of comedy writer Graham Linehan, a vocal critic of trans rights, as evidence of what she described as a growing intolerance for opposing views.

The motion had proposed that diversity quotas should be based strictly on biological sex, citing legal advice that the current rules may breach the Equality Act. Hollowood’s group had commissioned a KC to argue that the party’s inclusion of self-identified gender in quotas could constitute unlawful discrimination.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, party leader Sir Ed Davey reiterated his stance that “a trans woman is a woman,” and the party’s official position remains supportive of trans rights. Lisa Smart, the Lib Dems’ spokeswoman on women and equalities, declined to comment directly on the procedural motion, saying only, “Party members will do what party members will do”.