Jean Crocker reports on this year’s Labour Party Women’s Conference and calls for an independent, two-day standalone event in future.

Outside Women’s Conference 2023, there was a demonstration with the slogan Don’t downgrade Women’s Conference. But today the Conference has been beaten back almost to the time before the Democracy Review of 2018, when it was a kind of hors d’oeuvre to Labour Conference that showcased favourite daughters. 

Reduced time for debates and a belated requirement for motions

One remaining democratic element is voting on motions, two of which are sent through to Labour Conference. But the time given to debate is constantly shrinking. Women’s CAC held firm on our rule-given right to decide the number of motion debates in 2023, when Conference was reduced to one day, and chose to have six rather than the four proposed. The more debates there are, the more women’s voices should be heard.

The time given to each debate, however, was reduced to 30 minutes. In 2024, Women’s CAC stood fast on six, and were unanimous in rejecting the idea of reducing each to 20 minutes.  But the matter was taken to the National Women’s Committee (NWC), who, likely unaware of our stance, agreed to the reduced time. 

CLP Secretaries, Chairs and Women’s Officers were told on 17^th July that, for motions to be found in order, they must be about issues arising after 5th July 2024. This did not give reasonable time for the information to be disseminated and quorate meetings called before the deadline of 21^st August, well into the holiday period.

A number of Women’s Conference Arrangements Committee members protested. Many motions fell foul of the belated requirement and so did not enter the priorities ballot, including on Children’s Right to Play, Period Poverty and one of the motions calling for an end to the two-child benefit cap. The topic groups chosen by CLP delegates in the ballot were Education and Girls, Women in the Economy and Women’s Health. They all supported existing policy and referred to the manifesto and/or the King’s Speech. 

The topics that affiliates chose in the ballot were Women as Working Parents and Carers, Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the Workplace, and Women in the Workplace. 

The ‘democratic timetable’

Women’s CAC should by rule be consulted on the pre-Conference timetable, which includes deadlines and compositing dates. This did not happen in 2023 or 2024, but we did ask for and manage to get time to read all the motions in both years, which must be the duty of Women’s CAC and avoids over-reliance on advice. 

Compositing, the loss of a debate, and democracy

For the topics agreed by CLPs, we were told that there wouldn’t be compositing meetings (which merge the motions in each topic group into one ‘composite motion’), because the motions in each group were identical, but that volunteers to move and second would be sought. I asked for a warning to go out that a motion would fall if the delegates from the CLP moving it were not in the conference chamber – it’s a problem less likely to be faced by unions, who often have larger delegations. I understand the warning was given, but in fact one motion did fall for this reason, and was not debated. Perhaps even a brief compositing meeting, which is where movers and seconders are usually agreed, would have prevented this. 

There are a number of non-delegates at compositing meetings, sometimes prestigious, and it has happened at Women’s Conference that delegates have felt they couldn’t have the wording they wanted. So, in the interests of democracy, Women’s CAC agreed a sentence to be included in the 2023 delegates’ guide, to make the sovereignty of delegates explicit: “The decision on the final wording of the composite is in the hands of the elected delegates.” In 2024, however, the sentence was no longer there. I have asked for its restoration. 

Conference agenda

NWC has the duty of overseeing the overall direction of Women’s Conference. However, every year Women’s CAC has put forward proposals. For example, CLP reps in the past have successfully called for free space for CLPs to put on fringe meetings or stalls, and for networking events. 

 In July 2023 the elected members met separately and collaborated on a draft agenda, which included a roundtable discussion session on the Friday afternoon for those who could get there, as well as a Welcome Reception in the evening, a networking breakfast on Saturday morning, six policy debates, fringe meetings at lunchtime including space for CLPs to run fringes, a session for workshops and several slots for speakers, the latter amounting to about an hour altogether – so a focus on policy debate, interaction and grassroots voices. Women’s CAC communicated this proposed draft on the morning of our next meeting. The meeting was cancelled, and another was called eight days later, where the view was expressed that Women’s CAC were going beyond our remit, and it was necessary for a ‘reset’ to take place. 

Women’s CAC members did continue to press for what we thought important, but success was limited. Turning to the 2024 agenda, the Welcome Reception was still there, and six debates, though reduced in length as mentioned above. But there were no fringe meetings or networking events, and speakers were given about twice as much time as in our 2023 proposal.

Visitors

Visitors add to the buzz and networking of a good Women’s Conference; and, for members who haven’t been to national meetings before, being a visitor is a good introduction. But the number has reduced disastrously. Women’s CAC and others pushed for information on visitor passes to go out, but this year there were virtually no visitors – an NEC member had heard there were five! The reason given was that a different conference hall was chosen to improve accessibility, but it was also smaller. It is surely possible to have both good accessibility and room for visitors. It would be easier to lay claim to a suitable hall if Women’s Conference was standalone. 

Registration

The ruling in the last two years that only one registration fee need be paid by CLPs if a woman is a delegate to both Women’s and Labour Conferences tends to weaken Women’s Conference by encouraging CLPs to ask delegates to Labour Conference to do both; whereas, with a standalone conference, women will put themselves forward who specifically want to go. 

Debate

As ever, women delegates spoke with feeling, based in their experiences, as long as time allowed. The motions on Violence Against Women and Girls in the workplace and Women’s Health were sent through to Labour Conference and passed there. 

Points of order and transparency

There was argument about points of order. In one case, a delegate called “point of order, but was not allowed to tell Conference what their concern was. Instead, it went to a desk by the side of the stage, where it was decided by staff that it was not valid. That may have been correct, but in the interests of openness and democracy, Conference should hear both the concern and the Chair’s ruling on the matter.

I queried this after the session, and found that the standing orders for Women’s Conference, as presented in the Women’s CAC report, are different from those for Labour Conference. The Women’s Conference standing orders include: 

“Any delegate may raise a legitimate point of order during a debate by communicating to the Chair in manner [sic] agreed by the WCAC.”

The Labour Conference rule has a full stop after ‘during a debate’. And in any case, Women’s CAC has never in any year agreed that a delegate wishing to claim a point of order should take it to a desk for the decision on validity to be made there. Transparency is essential to democracy. 

Speakers and workshops

Keynote speakers included Yvette Cooper, Bridget Phillipson, Anneliese Dodds, Rachel Reeves and Eluned Morgan, and a panel of regional mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners. 

One speaker ended with the words “See you at Conference!” Was this an unintended message that Women’s Conference is now again just a prelude to the main event? 

There were afternoon workshops on the General Election, Local Government Leadership, and a New Deal for Working Women.

Access to Women’s CAC

We had a Women’s CAC room. The delegates were told the room number, but there was no notice on the door, so I asked a couple of times for one, and eventually one was put up. In the meantime, we met a delegate who felt she had not been allowed in earlier. Whatever had or had not happened, it’s part of the democratic process that there is ready access to Women’s CAC. 

Women’s CAC election

In the election for Women’s CAC, the candidates backed by ‘Labour to Win’ took the three CLP seats. I am sad to have to leave after seven years, and that my fellow candidates supported by the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance, Zoe Allan and Rathi Guhadasan, were not elected. 

The future?

Women’s Conference has been downgraded. A notable moment this year was that delegates from CLPs and affiliates across the political spectrum lengthily applauded a call for a two-day Conference. This is a point of hope and unity for the future.

The BAME and Disabled Members’ Conferences, also in the rules for several years, have never materialised at all.  All are needed for a strong and diverse base, raising issues and informing Party policy, as we move forward to a society where everyone matters and everyone looks after everyone else. As part of this, a well-resourced women’s organisation and an independent, two-day standalone Women’s Conference are essential.

Jean Crocker was formerly Vice-Chair of Women’s Conference Arrangements Committee.

Image: Arena & Convention Centre, Liverpool. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1039210. Creator: Nick Mutton | Credit: Nick Mutton Copyright: © Nick Mutton and licenced for reuse under cc-by-sa/2.0