The Liberal Democrats have formally rejected guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on how organisations should put into effect a Supreme Court ruling relating to transgender people.
Delegates at the party's annual conference in Brighton passed a motion, described by supporters as overwhelming, that labelled the EHRC's advice “discriminatory and unworkable” and urged the party to pursue an alternative approach to implementing the court's decision.
The ruling, handed down last year, established that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. The EHRC subsequently issued guidance intended to help organisations comply with the judgment; the Lib Dems' motion specifically rejected that guidance as an appropriate route for implementing the change.
By adopting the motion, the Liberal Democrats became the first of the three largest parties in parliament to call for a revised method of applying the Supreme Court determination. The Green party has previously expressed support for changing how the ruling is implemented.
The party's decision signals a clear stance within its conference membership on how the intersection of equality law and transgender rights should be handled, and sets out the Lib Dems' preference for seeking alternative practical approaches rather than following the EHRC's published guidance.