Labour has defended its decision to ban straight, white, able-bodied men from its equalities conference, just weeks after the party was found guilty of unlawful discrimination in a separate race row.
A letter issued by Young Labour inviting supporters to apply for tickets states that the one-day conference in March is open only to under-27s who “self-define” as women, BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic), LGBT, or disabled.
While Conservative MPs slammed the move, a Labour spokesman said there was “nothing new about spaces for people with protected characteristics meeting to discuss the inequalities and obstacles they face”.
“The purpose of this conference is to ensure that members from disadvantaged groups are able to elect representatives to Young Labour’s National Committee. All other positions on the committee are elected online, via a ‘one member one vote’ system.”
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said the incident indicates that the socialist party was “no longer about equality or fighting discrimination”, adding Labour has “been entirely taken over by identity politics and specific groups of activists”.
Tory deputy chairman James Cleverly echoed the North West Leicestershire MP’s comments, telling The Telegraph: “This is yet another example of discrimination by Labour. Their lazy assumption that straight white men can’t fight for equality is shocking.
“It is essential that political parties represent each and every person irrespective of race, sexuality or age. The Labour Party should take action now to ensure that this discrimination comes to an end.”
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After Conservative MP Ben Bradley took to Twitter to decry the policy, an account representing Young Labour Women mocked the Mansfield parliamentarian in a tweet asking sarcastically, “Will no-one think of the straight white men?!!?11”
Last month the party was forced to back away from ticket pricing which charged white Labour activists and supporters £10 more than people with BAME backgrounds, after the Equality and Human Rights Commission (ECHR) judged the racial surcharge to be unlawful.
As Breitbart London previously reported, Leicestershire Police declined to investigate Labour’s anti-white price structure despite thousands of people contacting the force to point out UK equalities legislation appears to outlaw providing goods, facilities, or services on different terms on the basis of ethnicity.
The perceived indifference of Leicestershire Police to the case prompted social media users to speak out against what they presumed to be double standards, suggesting authorities would have come down hard on any event which offered favourable pricing to white people.
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