Greens under fire for allowing man to be elected to female position

The Green Party has been accused of ignoring the law by allowing a man to take a single-sex position.

Last month, a man known as Eleanora Folan was elected for a woman’s place on the Eastern Region on the Green Party Council. He has since been suspended as a party member, and therefore from his role, due to unreported circumstances.

When the party was criticised for his appointment, a spokesman claimed that the equality watchdog’s “flawed” guidance did not prevent it “from continuing to hold our elections in accordance with our rules, and we remain clear that trans women are women”.

‘Blatant example’

Jude English, Co-Chair of Green Party Women, said the incident is not “an isolated concern”.

“Following the Supreme Court judgment, we believe the law is clear about the meaning of sex, yet the Green Party has made no meaningful attempt to review its rules or practices and has instead continued to act as though nothing has changed.”

She explained: “The party is currently facing several court cases because it has repeatedly broken equality law. The leadership cannot simply ignore the law because it disagrees with it, and it cannot claim women’s rights are being protected while allowing a women’s position to be filled in this way.

“The party has been repeatedly warned about these issues. This is an especially blatant example of why women in the Green Party have lost confidence in its willingness to protect their rights.”

Trade union

Last month, the UK’s largest trade union was disciplined for allowing a man to stand for a female position.

In February 2025, a man known as Ellie Waple ran for the female disabled member’s seat on Unison’s National Executive Committee. Although he lost the election, the trade union regulator ruled that permitting Waple to campaign contravened the Supreme Court’s ruling on biological sex and the union’s own rules.

Lawyers for Unison member Stephen Flaherty, who launched the legal challenge, asked the Trades Union Congress to instruct all members to review their sex-based guidance.