Labour needs to speak up for women

The treatment of Rosie Duffield MP is deplorable. We applaud her courage in speaking out. The Labour Party says it wants more light and less heat but its actions don’t support this claim.

This post is based on a tweet thread listing some of our attempts to get Labour to listen this year.

In February 2020, we published this post about the failure of Labour to respond to our formal complaint about behaviour by Labour Party members at our unofficial fringe in Brighton.

Six months later we have had no response

This is the letter Ruth Serwotka, one of our co-founders, wrote to Lisa Nandy when the MP made false and damaging allegations about us on the Radio 4 Today programme.

We have had no response.

This was a letter written to Rebecca Long Bailey by one of our supporters after she signed the scurrilous Labour for Trans Rights Campaign pledge.

To the best of our knowledge she had no reply.

This was our letter to Zarah Sultana in June 2020 challenging her comments in a letter to Liz Truss about “transphobic organisations and individuals”.

We have had no response.

This was our letter to Catherine West about unsuccessful attempts to no-platform Pragna Patel at a Labour Party Women’s Forum.

We received no response to our letter.

This was our letter to Keir Starmer six months ago raising concerns about the treatment of women in the party who were speaking up for women’s rights.

We have had no response.

We have emailed Keir Starmer on at least six occasions since 2018. We have never had a response. We are told that Labour wants to shed more light, less heat. Feels like Labour aren’t that keen on the light either.

Thank goodness for Labour Women’s Declaration which is working hard within the Labour Party to make sure women’s voices are heard and that Labour politicians are challenged with the concerns women have. Book here for their event on 20th October

The appalling treatment of female Labour party representatives and members who try to speak up for women cannot go on.

Keir Starmer needs to step out of the dark and into the light.

And he needs to do it fast.

WPUK

12th October 2020