Inclusive Terminology Guidance document - Green Party
The Green Party of England and Wales has circulated an Inclusive Terminology Guidance document to members ahead of its conference, advising against a range of everyday terms on the grounds that they can create unwelcoming or exclusionary environments. The guidance, reported by outlets including The Spectator and LBC in late September and early October 2026, lists specific words and phrases as outdated or unacceptable and ties repeated deliberate misuse to the party’s code of conduct on bullying and harassment.
Among the terms discouraged are “mothers and fathers,” which the document recommends replacing with “parents and carers.” Gendered job titles such as “lady doctor,” “chairman,” and “policeman” are to be avoided in favour of neutral alternatives like “doctor,” “chair,” and “police officer.” “Elderly,” “youngster,” “able-bodied,” “sex-change,” “homosexual,” “transsexual,” and “sexual preference” are also flagged. The last of these is described as implying that attraction is a choice. “Nutter” and “lunatic” are discouraged because they “reinforce negative stereotypes and stigma about mental health.” On race, the acronym BAME (“black, Asian and minority ethnic”) is to be used with caution, with the guidance preferring “global majority” as an umbrella term for people of Black, Asian, Brown, Indigenous, and Latin American heritage, and “racially minoritised” because it frames minority status as the product of social structures rather than an inherent trait.
The document states that using the “wrong” words “can create environments that feel unwelcoming or exclusionary.” It acknowledges that mistakes can happen and advises members who are corrected to apologise, thank the person who pointed out the error, and adjust their language. However, it notes that repeated or deliberate behaviour may be treated as harassment, which is unlawful and a breach of the party’s code of conduct.
A Green Party spokesman responded that the document is “an existing and standard equalities training document, similar to those found in other organisations that also take equalities seriously. It is a guide and nothing else.” The guidance was publicised as party members prepared to gather in Brighton under leader Zack Polanski.
Public reactions have been sharp. Author J.K. Rowling wrote: “Speaking as the elderly mother of three youngsters, who hasn’t had a sex change and knows many homosexuals, it is my able-bodied and sexually-preferred opinion that the Greens are turning into total nutters.”
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake described the guidance as part of an “obsession with policing people’s language and thoughts,” arguing that it seeks to prohibit ordinary words such as “mother” and “father.”
The episode has been widely covered by British media as an example of internal party language rules that extend beyond preferred style into conduct expectations. The Green Party maintains the material is advisory training rather than a formal ban, while critics contend that linking everyday vocabulary to harassment rules effectively polices speech among members.
