Labour women tell Burnham half of next government should be female
Andy Burnham is being urged by female Labor MPs to stick to a 50:50 gender split within his government if he becomes prime minister in July.
A draft letter from the Women’s Parliamentary Labor Party (WPLP), seen by the BBC, says Labor must lead by example with its own staff if it wants to be seen as the party of equality.
Demanding that change start at the top, the WPLP writes: “We ask you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny in our own party and government.”
The Labor Party has never had an elected female leader; The Conservative Party has had three female prime ministers and is currently led by Kemi Badenoch.
Burnham is expected to replace Chancellor Rachel Reeves from the first female spot at No. 11, and the top candidates to replace her are men.
He will also bring back James Purnell, the new Labor ally shared by the two women under Sir Keir Starmer, as his chief of staff.
One member of the WPLP suggested it would not be acceptable to have “more Milibands than women in major government offices”.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is a possible candidate for the chancellorship in Burnham’s government. There is speculation that his brother David may return to British politics as foreign secretary, perhaps through appointment to the House of Lords.
But Burnham moved to reassure him at a meeting this week that he was an ally of the WPLP and promised to sack any staff in his team who harmed women.
Labor MPs have complained that they feel undermined by what they call a boys’ club culture at Westminster. They say this contributes to scandals, structural misogyny, bullying and the ignoring of reports of sexual harassment.
The draft letter, which is yet to be sent to Burnham, states: “We fought hard to achieve our electoral success but found ourselves struggling to have our voices heard as women in our own party.
“The fact that the rooms where decisions are made are often closed to us leads to blind spots in appointment decisions and policy development.
“The tendency of previous leaders to sideline women’s voices makes us a weaker government.”
In the 13-point plan, which aims to remove barriers to gender equality, the WPLP calls for the appointment of a separate minister of state for women, as well as a female deputy prime minister.
It also calls for zero tolerance for bullying or misogyny by No 10 staff and parliamentarians, as well as unprofessional behavior that diminishes women’s contribution.
The letter also highlights threats to women, particularly female MPs from ethnic minorities, and calls for better security and action through legislation to limit online harassment and deepfakes.
The same group has pressured Sir Keir Starmer to appoint a woman as first foreign secretary, a powerful but still vacant position at the top of the government.
Former Labor deputy leader Harriet Harman, who briefly served as acting party leader in 2010 and 2015, has long called for gender equality in the party.
She was brought in by Sir Keir Starmer as an advisor on women and girls following the backlash over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador surrounding Jeffrey Epstein; Harman said this would never happen if women were involved in decision-making.
Burnham is so far the only candidate to announce a bid to replace Sir Keir as prime minister. If no other Labor MPs do so, he could become the next prime minister as early as July 20.
He has praised Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and is also expected to reward senior northern MPs who have supported him should he form a new government.
They include Labor deputy leader Lucy Powell and former transport minister Louise Haigh, who led his campaign during the Makerfield byelection.
