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Webchat with Labour leadership contender Jess Phillips MP on Monday January 20 at 1pm

246 replies

BojanaMumsnet · 17/01/2020 09:10

Hello

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with Labour leadership contender Jess Phillips MP on Monday 20 January at 1pm.

Jess Phillips is Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley. Prior to being elected she worked for Women’s Aid, supporting victims of domestic violence. Her campaign says she is often described as the most “outspoken politician at Westminster”, having led campaigns against school cuts, immigration rights and better funding for women’s refuges.

In advance of her coming in, Jess has asked us to pass on the following: “if you share the aims and values of the Labour Party, you can have a vote on who should be Labour's next Leader if you join the Party by 5pm on Monday 20 January. You can join here and if you do it by 5pm on Monday you WILL have a vote in the contest. Find out more here.”

Please do join the chat on Monday at 1pm or if you can’t make it, leave a question here in advance.

We've invited and are hoping to have all of the contenders on over the next few weeks.

As always, please remember our webchat guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is dominating a thread, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. (And we’ll suspend the accounts of anyone who continues after we've posted to ask people to stop, so please take note.) Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Many thanks,
MNHQ

Webchat with Labour leadership contender Jess Phillips MP on Monday January 20 at 1pm
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youknowitmakessensedunnit · 17/01/2020 22:36

Hi Jess, I'm sure you agree that it is important for young women to have female role models to inspire them. In that spirit, which of Britain's previous women prime ministers do you admire most and why?

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Winecheesesleep · 17/01/2020 22:39

I've already asked a question but I'd like to see traceyracer's question answered too, the funding for SEN diagnosis and support is appalling in this country.

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pollyputthepastaon · 17/01/2020 22:40

Hi jess,

Why do you feel that so many women have left the Labour Party and what policies do you have that may encourage them to come back?

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Apocketfulofposies · 17/01/2020 22:43

The leadership contenders all seem very keen to distance themselves from London and focus on how important the rest of the country is. Of course the rest of the country is important, but any chance you could stop alienating Londoners? Things are pretty tough here too - you only need to look at property prices and rents, knife crime, school places etc

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endofthelinefinally · 17/01/2020 23:54

Do you think nurses should have to pay for their training, even though they work long hours during their clinical placements?
Do you think staff shortages in the NHS could be addressed by considering this?

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NonHypotheticalLurkingParent · 18/01/2020 00:11

Hi Jess,

How do you think social media has changed the way politics is conducted?

if the last election was polled by a Twitter poll, then I think, Labour would have won a majority. Do you think social media played a part in the disconnect with the electorate and the issues that concern them?

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MrsToddsShortcut · 18/01/2020 01:48

Hi Jess,

Following Traceyracer, as an autistic woman with an autistic daughter, I can tell you that not only is SEN funding a disgrace (schools are under no obligation to ringfence it) but autistic females are barely recognised at all.

There are generations of autistic women who have struggled through their lives, undiagnosed and suffering greatly.

Despite there now being much greater awareness of autism in girls and women, and what it actually looks like (very different to boys) schools still refuse to recognise it, and assume girls are 'fine' because they are great at masking and mimicking (at great cost to their mental health).

Autism looks very different in females and until some serious research is done, and cascades down to schools in a robust way, autistic girls will continue to be vulnerable to predatory behaviours, put themselves at risk in order to be liked, and be much more likely than neurotypical girls to be sexually abused, at risk of domestic abuse, suffer educationally, represent 40% of all kids referred to GIDS, and have a deeply fragile sense of self.

I run a support group for parents of ASD girls and everyone's daughters are having the same negative experiences and general lack of support.

There is only one state school in the entire country that specialises in teaching autistic girls (the brilliant )

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MrsToddsShortcut · 18/01/2020 01:52

Argh! Sorry, Posted too soon! That should have been Limpsfield Grange. If their model could be replicated, then the life chances of autistic females could be improved beyond measure.

Either way, would you commit to raising awareness of autism in girls and women and making it part of a wider agenda to solidify the rights of women and girls to thrive in a society that sees us as either carers, commodities or simply invisible?

Thanks

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Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 18/01/2020 02:08

Hi Jess, another gobbie brummie here. Do you consider yourself to be on the 'right-wing' of the Labour Party?

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redcarbluecar · 18/01/2020 06:32

Hi Jess. Thanks for being such a strong voice.
If elected as leader, how would you try to bring about unity and cohesion within the Labour Party? It feels at the moment as though the party is divided against itself.

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NotBadConsidering · 18/01/2020 07:05

Jess,

There seems to be a significant disconnect between left-leaning parties and the electorate in western countries: the UK, USA and Australia for example, all of which have seen results that weren’t entirely expected. Many voters in the middle seem to see ideologies celebrated by the left while failing to address issues they deal with day to day.

Do you believe that the only way to get elected as leader is to say “yes” to these factions within the party, and do you think that is a strategy that can win a general election, given the evidence to the contrary?

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aliballybee18 · 18/01/2020 07:19

Hello Jess,
I would like to raise the question of Legal Aid for survivors of Domestic Abuse. I continue with my child to experience the dire consequences of Economic Abuse, despite the relationship ending in 2010. I have since been told that I don't qualify for help because my case dates pre-2015, even though there is clear evidence of the continuation of abuse. What can your party do to address cases such as mine? And, will you reinstate Legal Aid to those who desperately need it?

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SonEtLumiere · 18/01/2020 07:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bellinisurge · 18/01/2020 08:37

Hello Jess. This question is about personality and as you are ultimately going for the PM job, I feel I must ask it: Please explain what personal qualities you have to be party (and ultimately national) leader. You are an intelligent, relatable, straight-talking person but those are not necessarily enough to lead the country. You need to lead a team of high profile people and marshal those strong personalities, you need to stand up to other countries' leaders, you need to be across the boring (or secret) stuff that you'll never get credit for. I think you'd be a great, swashbuckling Home Secretary or Health Secretary but I'm not yet convinced you could lead a Cabinet: Convince me otherwise. Best wishes.

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keiratwiceknightly · 18/01/2020 08:48

Hi Jess,

As a teacher in a semi-rural midlands school, I am desperately concerned about funding for education. Your son's school is now shutting at lunchtime on Fridays, yet the secondary schools in your constituency will receive £1000 pa per pupil more than we do - and this remains after years of underfunding for the rural schools. We lost 3 technicians, our librarian and FOURTEEN TAs a couple of years ago in an attempt to claw some budget back; when teachers leave or retire they are not replaced.

If you become leader, what will you do about education funding - not just in the Labour-voting inner cities, but in rural areas?

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Metclaffe · 18/01/2020 08:53

Lifelong Labour member until Corbyn. One of the huge parts for me that put me off was the Momentum aspect and how debate seemed to be shut down across a wide range of topics. Eg critism of Corbyn would get shouted down and not listened to and dismissed. If those concerns had been listened to earlier maybe they wouldn't of lost so many key seats.
As such Ithink you will agree that debate and questioning everything, listening to people who have concerns etc is the cornerstone of a democracy so its very silly the path that were going down, especially on social media where debate seems to be almost be discouraged about many important issues.

Without labour listening to people who have concerns they will end up back like in this last election, where the heartlands were lost.

How as Labour leader will you encourage debate to flourish and listen to the concerns of those who Labour have lost recently ?

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LemonGingerCakes · 18/01/2020 09:40

Thanks for comments on sex/gender identity etc - that's enough on that topic now

Well that’s us told.

My question:

Where do you see our future with the EU post Brexit and how will you bring the country together?

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Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 18/01/2020 10:38

Well said Babdocand Yogadrone Hopefully Jess will address the issue so many of us feel strongly about

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Mammajay · 18/01/2020 10:44

I am relieved to see you have been selected as a candidate for Labour leader. I love your spirit but don't want see see political debate as a sparring match or comedy stand up between you and Boris Johnson. Will we see a mixture of Jess, the intelligent MP, and Jess the quick witted, passionate debater??

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Madhairday · 18/01/2020 10:49

I'd like to ask you how you envisage supporting disabled people and particularly about the processes involved in awarding PIP and ESA which are at present not only unfit for purpose, but are an infringement on human rights according to a UN report. So many disabled and sick people are losing their support to a system that instead of supporting them penalises them, the 'interviews' comprising of questions deliberately set to catch people out. This is disproportionately affecting those with mental health issues, autism and women who are so often categorised as 'hypochondriac' and 'hysterical'. How would you ensure that these processes are made fair to the most vulnerable, so that people are not made more sick and even end up dying as a direct result of sanctions made on them?

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FairyLightsAreMyCrack · 18/01/2020 11:34

Why do you continue to support blanket criminalisation of the purchase of sex in light of research (most recently in Northern Ireland) showing that this is harmful to sex workers, and the fact that it is already illegal in the UK to pay for sex with a person who has been coerced? Do you feel your opinion is worth more than that of academics, experts and actual sex workers, or do you feel that we are acceptable collateral damage to make the point that you think sex work is wrong?

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Gertrudesgarden · 18/01/2020 11:35

Like a previous poster, I too spoiled my ballot in December, as I couldn't find a single political party who gave a damn about me, a middle aged, self employed, biological woman. Nobody cares. Ive been swept aside by political correctness, alphabet soup and politicians prostrating themselves at the alter of woke.

How are you going to try to win my vote?

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DonPablo · 18/01/2020 11:38

Hi Jess,

I think you're great for politics. How de we encourage more people like you (a mother, relatively young, not public school educated) into politics?

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SushiGo · 18/01/2020 11:49

Hi Jess,

Across the country local government is dominated by older white men, given that a lot of the decisions they make are really key for and used most by women, (social care, schooling, homelessness policies, refuges, libraries etc) what do you think can be done to ensure that women's voices are heard locally and more women consider becoming local Councillors.

PS I think you are fab! Behind you all the way.

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Jux · 18/01/2020 11:53

Hi Jess, just wanted to say what a great role.model.you are, and how thankful I am that we have at least one honest politician in our Parliament.

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