Sometimes it’s hard to believe the levels to which Conservative politicians will sink to protect their leader but yesterday’s slur against Angela Rayner proved there’s grubbier depths still to mine.
In what could easily be an episode of The Thick of It - a Tory Member of Parliament tries to diminish and sexualise a female opposition politician, because their poor, easily distracted, thin skinned leader would be put off his train of thought by a woman having legs.
It’s sexist, shallow, shabby and contemptable in modern Britain.
But of course, not an isolated incidence.
Woman suffer misogyny in every walk of life with the MeToo movement the high profile tip of a boring daily grind of male commentary on women’s behaviours.
As an actor, I was used to being judged for my voice and looks – too small, too tall, too Northern, not Northern enough. A frustrating – but in some way understandable - part of the job.
As Shadow Secretary of State for DCMS back in 2019, having brought a Minister to the house to explain why the PM was inviting only certain journalists to Brexit briefings, I was subject to an extraordinary on-line hyper sexualised barrage of commentary about an accidental bare shoulder.
Now as someone with a platform and a voice, I was able to spin that auctioning the dress for £20,200 for Girl Guides to continue their work with young girls and body shaming – to amplify the issue for those don’t have that voice, that platform or that power. Having to put up with ‘jokes’ from the boss or misogynistic commentary from strangers.
But why does tackling misogyny matter?
Some might say, why can’t we just shrug it off as stupidity?
Because this is where it starts. Let it go and women feel they have no place in those rooms and men feel it’s acceptable and once you’ve got away with a slur, what else can you get away with?
Let’s not forget 56 MPs are being investigated by the Independent complaints and grievances committee for all manner of bad behaviour including bribing a staff member for sexual favours.
Now Angela’s response was typically forthright and elegant – seeing this not only as a sexist trope but as an attack on her class from MP’s on the opposite benches increasingly anxious about their future and the future of the man they’ve staked their reputations on.
So what do we do above hitting back on line and in print?
We continue the fight to get more women to stand for election, to step up, to get their voice heard because representation matters.
I am the only woman Metro Mayor in the country and because I’m a woman with lived experience of misogyny I’ve been able as Police and Crime Commissioner – working with my brilliant deputy Alison Lowe and excellent Chief Constable – to get Misogyny recorded as a Hate Crime.
This is how things change but we must go further.
Celebrating the ‘all time high’ of 35% of women MPs is good but when 22% of Council Leaders and 26% Police and Crime Commissioners are women there are still serious gaps in representation.
So if you’re reading this – volunteer, step up, get involved. We need you more than ever.
- Tracy Brabin is the Mayor of West Yorkshire
