Labour Women’s Network – Lead for Women questions 1) Will you actively defend the principle and implementation of All Women Shortlists for both Parliamentary and council seats, and support other positive actions measures where appropriate?
Yes.
In ‘Working with Women’ last year we set out the commitment to achieving 50:50 representation in Parliament and All Women Shortlists have been an important mechanism in increasing women’s representation in Parliament. I would like to see 50:50 representation across all public offices.
Alongside this one of the points I made at the Gateshead hustings was that we need to look at mechanisms to increase our diversity, be reflective of society as a whole and increase our representation of all Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, disabled and LGBT people.
To achieve this goal we need to increase the participation of women from all backgrounds, at every level of our party and in society. We should be aiming for a society where there is equal representation not just in Parliament, but also in our legal structures, in our media and culture and across our economy and industries. Investing £500billion to grow our economy will be the foundation to properly fund and to extend democratic control over our public services. Creating secure and better paid work and progressively moving towards universal childcare, free education and a properly funded social care system in particular can help remove barriers to women’s involvement and enhance the opportunities of all, but particularly women, to participate and to have a powerful voice in society and in our party.
2) Will you take action to ensure boundary changes don’t reduce the number of Labour women MPs?
Yes.
In achieving our aim of 50:50 women’s representation any reduction would be a step back. We must also unite as a party, recognising the democratic outcome of the leadership election and fight to gain as many MP seats as possible to win the next general election – turning women candidates into women MPs. In addition we know the boundary changes are undemocratic, the product of a Conservative government determined to disadvantage Labour. As a party we need to continue raising that voter registration data being used by the Electoral Commission is woefully out of date – due to Labour efforts there was a large surge in voting registration in the run-up to the EU referendum. As a party we should unite around demanding that this more recent data is used to prevent the under-representation of our communities.
3) Will you ensure 50:50 membership of Labour’s Shadow Cabinet/Cabinet (including the four great offices of state) and enforce fair representation throughout local government?
Yes.
I am the first Labour leader to promise and appoint women to form half the Shadow Cabinet and I ensured that women were half of weighty bodies created, such as our Economic Advisory Committee, and I want this approach followed at local government level.
In addition, Shadow Cabinet positions covering crucial areas such as Health, Local Government, Education, Transport, Business, Work, Pensions, Environment and responsibility for mental health, arts and culture and others should not be relegated to ‘second tier’. These positions carry the large budgets and the policy decisions taken can directly transform the lives of tens of millions of people and create a more equal society. All of our Shadow Cabinet positions are, and should be viewed, as ‘great offices of state’ in the 21st Century.
4) Will you support a rule change to ensure 50:50 representation across all other party committees? Yes.
5) Will you ensure that the Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities is a standalone brief in your Shadow Cabinet?
Yes.
I was pleased to appoint Kate Green to the role of Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities as a standalone brief in a Shadow Cabinet that reached out across the party and the team working with her did a great job in holding the Government to account. Angela Rayner is doing a fantastic job in the role but unfortunately has had to combine it with Education to ensure the Government continues to be held to account after the actions of PLP members in refusing to take part in a Shadow Cabinet. I have stated that if re-elected I would hope the PLP would recognise the democratic outcome of the election and chose to serve in a Shadow Cabinet to enable us to return to Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities being a standalone brief.
6) Will you support the introduction of a comprehensive policy against sexual harassment in the Labour party covering staff, elected representatives, activists and members which includes an independent complaints handler in the form of a charity ombudsperson?
Yes.
We would need to consult on the process that should be put in place, but the starting point is that there is no place for sexual harassment in any sphere of society, including the Labour party.
The TUC report ‘Still just a bit of banter?’ found that half of women had experienced sexual harassment at work – and that harassment was more prevalent with insecure and temporary forms of working such as zero hours contracts. We will end these forms of precarious work. I support the return of Section 40 of Equality Act 2010 that gives employers an obligation to prevent third party harassment of their employees. We also need to take action to change our culture and tackle harassment and violence against women and girls at its root causes. It is why in my leadership election last Summer one of the policies we put forward was the need for compulsory Sex and Relationship Education in schools.
7) Will you ensure the Labour Party monitors the diversity of office holders and candidates, and publish the data?
Yes.
The Labour party should monitor the diversity of its membership, its PLP, local councillors, office holders and candidates – this represents best practice across all organisations.
8) Will you ensure gender balance and equal pay in your senior staff team?
Yes.
9) Will you ensure women have a formal voice at every level of Labour’s structures, including women’s officers in CLPs, regional boards and on Labour’s NEC? Yes. I support an annual policy making women’s conference. 10) Will you refuse to speak on any all-male panels (with the exception of hustings events where the Party fails to find a woman chair) and reject the use of gendered language? Yes. So far during this leadership election I have spoken at over 20 meetings and rallies and they have been gender balanced. I completely reject the use of gendered and violent language 11) Will you support a rule change in the future to ensure Labour has at least one woman in the leadership team?
Yes.
12) Will you join LWN as a supporter – www.lwn.org.uk/join ? Yes.