Labour women from across the country will arrive in Liverpool tomorrow to make sure women’s voices are heard, in a party transformed, for the Annual National Women’s Conference.
There are currently 187 Labour women MPs in Parliament (46% of the Parliamentary Labour Party) making up 263 women MPs in total in the House of Commons. They bring hope for change not only within Parliament but for the work of government to create a more equal and prosperous country.
This is what so many women before have done, such as the 101 Labour women elected to Parliament in 1997 under the last Labour government, introducing swathes of reforms such as the National Minimum Wage, children’s centres, maternity and paternity pay, increased support for carers of elderly and disabled relatives, the right to request flexible working and a minimum income guarantee for pensioners. The list could go on!
‘Progress is not inevitable. We have to work together for it.’
This progress was reversed in many ways under 14 years of a Conservative government, starving local councils of funding, children’s centres cut back, tax credits cut, and support for victims of domestic violence reduced with women waiting years to see a conviction when reporting a crime such as rape, as highlighted by Dame Vera Baird when she was the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales saying in her annual 2021/22 report that ‘for victims, reporting rape is effectively a lottery and the odds are rarely in your favour.’
Yesterday, Rachel Reeves, Britain’s first woman Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed her commitment to “improve life for women” wanting to close the gender pay gap, strengthen rights at work and invest in childcare too.
READ MORE: Anger as women’s conference assigned only 20 minutes to debate each motion
Progress is not inevitable. We have to work together for it. There is so much to learn and to celebrate which is why the women’s conference is an important space for Labour women to come together from across the country every year.
It provides an opportunity to share our experiences, ideas and have discussions to help shape the way ahead. Change can never happen with one Prime Minister or one Minister working alone and certainly not without women in the room.
This is a time to ensure the women’s conference is as inclusive as possible so that we can support the government to deliver change. Not just this year, but in future years, and many of us stand ready to support the party in evolving this conference.
There can be space for more people to attend and opportunities for us to hear from sisters in other progressive parties around the world. We do need to work from, as the Foreign Secretary David Lammy describes, “progressive realism” but this realism for many women is fuelled by a desire for change to make our party stronger and our country more prosperous for all.
‘I hope we can build a conference that gives space for motions to be debated’
Labour is often criticised for never having a woman Leader yet and yes, this is disappointing – not forgetting Dame Margaret Beckett and Harriet Harman stepping up for a time – but the Labour Party is one that has delivered progress for women. And this new government has more women serving in it than ever before, determined to work together to deliver what we have promised.
I have listened to party members talk about wanting to build on the women’s conference successes of the past. We can. I hope we can build a conference for the future that gives space for more motions to be debated, hear from more of our National Policy Forum representatives to be able to shape the policy agenda for the future together and hear from other underrepresented groups so that we can make the changes needed from listening to their lived experiences.
Whether it’s better access to transport and healthcare or quality housing and social care, there is so much change which needs to happen and has already begun. The experiences of women affects the success of our society as a whole and this is why we must work together to get this right.
‘I am inspired by the women serving our country in government’
Labour women in the party and in government will once more deliver the transformational change our country needs. We are only a few weeks into this new government and already I am inspired by the energy, determination and vision of those who serve our country, appointed by our Prime Minister.
Dame Diana Johnson tackling policing and crime prevention following rigorous scrutiny of government chairing the Home Affairs Select Committee, Jess Phillips using her years of experience in domestic abuse services to ensure we halve violence against women and girls, Sarah Jones working across two major government departments on the decarbonisation agenda with industry, Catherine McKinnell co-producing school reforms with our wonderful teachers and Rushanara Ali leading on improving the quality of our housing stock. There are so many other examples.
The national women’s conference is an important time for women to come together to help shape the change that’s needed for our country and I look forward to playing my part as a member of the Labour Party to ensure it continues to be a success in the future.
Following a landslide victory we all worked so hard for to return politics to public service and bring hope back to working people, change has begun.
READ MORE: The full LabourList conference programme, from karaoke to key panel debates
READ MORE: Follow all of LabourList‘s Labour party conference 2024 news and debate here
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