KEY POINTS

  • Conference attendees will elect disabled, women, LGBT and Bame Young Labour representatives.
  • Conservative MPs have claimed it is "another example of discrimination".

The Labour Party is facing new accusations of discrimination after excluding straight white men from an equality conference.

An invitation email for the one-day Young Labour event said that attendees must self-define as one or more of disabled, LGBT, a woman, or black, asian and minority ethnic (Bame).

The event will allow delegates to vote for women's, Bame, disabled and LGBT representatives to the Young Labour National Committee.

Heterosexual white men are not allowed to vote in any of these categories. The rules also state that only women can vote for the women's representative and only LGBT members can vote for the LGBT representative.

James Cleverly, Conservative Party deputy chairman, touted the conference as "another example of discrimination by Labour."

"Their lazy assumption that straight white men can't fight for equality is shocking," Cleverly said. "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."

A Labour spokeswoman defended the exclusion of straight white men, saying: "There is 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."

Tory MP Ben Bradley joined the criticism of the conference

The Young Women Labour group took to Twitter to respond to Conservative outrage, questioning why people would attend if they were not eligible to elect Bame, disabled, LGBT and women's officers.

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen referred the event to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, which recently found Labour to be guilty of "unlawful discrimination" for offering Bame members discounted tickets to its East Midlands regional conference.

Bridgen claimed, "The Labour Party are no longer about equality or fighting against discrimination, they have been entirely taken over by identity politics and specific groups of activists."

Conservative Party deputy chairman James Cleverly
Conservative Party deputy chairman James Cleverly said the invitation was another example of Labour discrimination DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images