WITH less than a week to go before Labour’s annual conference opens in Liverpool, a wide range of unions and campaign groups have already announced plans to protest or boycott parts of the event.
On Sunday's opening day, Defend Our Juries (DOJ) is planning a high‑visibility protest outside the main hall, with campaigners expecting mass arrests over signs backing Palestine Action.
Then on Monday, activists from the Stop the War Coalition, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Friends of Al‑Aqsa, the Campaign Against Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and other groups will hold a rally and march beginning at 12 noon on St George’s Plateau before moving toward the conference venue
The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD) is not staging a street protest but is circulating model motions and reference‑back proposals through CLPs to pressure the party on Gaza and sanctions
Meanwhile, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), the Musicians’ Union and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) have confirmed they will boycott the Labour Party National Women’s Conference following a policy shift on trans women.
Unison
UNISON, the UK’s largest trade union, will demonstrate in support of its Fair Visa Campaign. The union says proposed changes to rules around Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), expected in October, risk undermining migrant workers’ ability to build stable lives in the UK.
Specifically, Unison is demanding secure visas, decent pay and the right to work without being tied to individual employers.
To show its support for migrant workers, the union will stage a large rally directly outside the conference centre.
Stop the War, PSC and allied groups
Campaign groups focused on Israel‑Palestine are mobilising in force. Stop the War and PSC say ministers must go further than existing measures on settlements. Their central demands are
The UK has imposed targeted sanctions on individuals and entities linked to settlement expansion in the West Bank.
However, Stop the War and PSC say ministers must go further, and they have two central demands:
- They want to see the UK Government officially recognise Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide based on UN commission findings.
- They're also demanding a full arms embargo and the implementation of comprehensive sanctions on Israel, including a complete halt to all UK weapon sales.
Stop the War is encouraging protesters to meet at 12pm on St George’s Plateau before marching to the conference venue, where they will be joined by PSC and allied groups including Momentum and Labour & Palestine.
Alongside street action, campaigners are gathering signatures on petitions and pushing motions calling for an arms embargo and genocide recognition.
CLPD is using conference mechanisms of motions and reference‑backs to press Labour on genocide recognition and sanctions, rather than holding a separate protest.
ASLEF, The Musicians’ Union, USDAW and Unison
These groups have announced they will boycott the Labour Women’s Conference (due to be held a day before the main conference) after the party confirmed that trans women will not be permitted to participate in floor debates.
Labour says the decision follows legal advice linked to the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of “woman” under the Equality Act 2010. Trans women will be allowed to attend fringe events but not take part in official conference business.
A USDAW spokesperson said: “This is because the party has excluded trans women, which runs counter to USDAW’s policy on trans equality.”
