Got a question for Keir Starmer or Bridget Phillipson?

[RhiannonEMumsnet]

Hi all,

We’re pleased to tell you that later this week Justine will be sitting down with Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer and Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to ask them Mumsnet users’ questions.

If you have a question you'd like answering, you can post it below. Please stick to the usual guidelines - one question per user, keep it civil, and if one topic is dominating, please don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point (we'll be deleting questions that are repeated multiple times). We'll be quite limited for time so do keep questions as short as possible so that we’re able to ask more of them - as always, we'll try to make sure we cover the topics that we know are important to Mumsnet users.

We'll be closing this thread at 5pm on Thursday, so please do get your questions in before that - and watch this space to hear the responses. If you'd like a reminder of the format you can see our interview with Boris Johnson here.

Thanks,
MNHQ

When will Labour release a manifesto? Are you delaying it in an attempt to unite the party and general public? We still haven’t have no idea what Labour under Keir Starmer truly stands for.

Very specific question for Keir Starmer:

If it is against the Geneva Convention to imprison female and male Prisoners of War together, why do you defend incarcerating any males with females in the UK, let alone if they are serving sentences for rape, other sexual offences or violence against women and girls, as advocated by Labour MPs such as Lisa Nandy?

Why do you think female Prisoners of War are more worthy of protection than a woman convicted of shop-lifting, the most common reason for women to be sentenced to prison?

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Keir - I hope you read this thread yourself instead of relying on your woke, misogynistic, male SPADs to "interpret" it for you and feed you their version. Unless you do that, you will be ill-prepared for your interview and will definitely disappoint us yet again.

It is interesting to read the thread and see the different themes - there are not too many so I will be disappointed (again) if you do not address them adequately.

Your speech at the Pink News awards was the final straw that broke the camel's back for me as a now-former Labour Party member.

It is wishful thinking or pure duplicity to say that you intend to "Reform the GRA" and at the same time intend to enhance protections for women under the Equality Act 2010.

We know what you mean by "Reform the GRA" because the Labour Party has whipped MSPs to vote today for changes in Scotland that will bring in "Self-Declaration" as well reducing the age of eligibility so that minors can legally change the sex marker on their birth certificate.

Interventions by Labour Parliamentarians in the Commons and the Lords during debates on the Gender Recognition Act in 2003 and 2004 emphasised again and again that the GRA was motivated by a wish to enable same-sex marriage for a small number of people referred to as "transsexuals". We have same-sex marriage now for anyone who wants it - so the GRA2004 is redundant on that count.

Another reason given repeatedly was equalisation of the State Pension Age. We have that now too - so again the GRA2004 is redundant.

All the warnings by concerned Parliamentarians about unintended consequences, that were brushed off by Labour Peers and MPS, have come to pass, such as males competing in women's sport.

All the reassurances in Parliament have proved false, such as that no one would ever be criminalised for "misgendering". On this, in your Pink News speech you even suggested that penalties should be more severe than they are now.

The Labour Party should admit that the GRA2004 is redundant, is being abused by criminals (50% of the men in prison who now "identify as women" made that self-declaration after they had been charged, convicted or were imprisoned) and is the product of magical thinking that people have a state of mind referred to as a "gender identity" that can be at odds with their biological sex.

The Labour Party should be committing to Repeal the GRA not "reforming" it.

I cannot vote for a Party that defends incarcerating rapists with women in prison and I don't know how any woman could.

For Keir Starmer when will you start listening to women who don’t want men, how ever those men identify themselves, into women’s spaces?

When will you start supporting Rosie Duffield MP?

When will you speak to Joan Smith?

Why are you ignoring women?

You are losing women every day because you don’t care about our safety, privacy and dignity.
No to Self ID anywhere in the UK.

It's important to show the level of support for questions. It doesn't take much to see a repeated /similar question and add it to a tally rather than deleting. You can then weight questions when posing them.

Absolutely - if an issue is so pressing that multiple posters have raised it then that should be taken into consideration. And please choose a strong version of the question itself, not a watered down one.

I feel as though I need to come back to this. I'm really uncomfortable that Mumsnet has tried to get its posters to basically shut the fuck up about women's rights.

I'm really disappointed. Perhaps Mumsnet prefers posters to ask about favourite biscuits instead. Or needs to provide a list of things that they would like us to ask.

I've two questions. The first is to Sir Keir. How will you protect women's rights (to which you've said Labour is committed) when your definition of a woman is vague and nonsensical? "Most women are biological women and a few aren't" makes a mockery of sensible measures to address discrimination and evaluate the success of those measures.

My second question is to both of them. On the assumption that they don't support the Conservative HE Bill (neither do I), what would they do to protect academic freedom in universities, and to ensure that university managers step up to the plate to prevent the wider chilling effect of incidents such as we've seen in Cambridge, where attempts were made to deplatform Helen Joyce by using smears and knee-jerk accusations of transphobia. And please don't say that she wasn't deplatformed so there's no problem - because the problem is the quiet heads-down culture that results from such incidents. What do both politicians think would change this situation, which has a disproportionate effect on women in universities?

With Brexit, the Erasmus scheme was scrapped and many university students are now struggling to access years abroad. the Turing Scheme is not working as an equivalent and so MFL degrees and courses with a year abroad are more and more being the preserve of the very wealthy.

What can you do to reverse this and how will you ever revive language learning in schools and universities?

I discuss politics regularly with friends and colleagues. The vast majority of the women feel politically homeless because of the stance on self ID and the inevitable ramifications on women, and the total lack of safeguarding for women and children.

This is a huge issue for many women, for very good reason.

I doubt you’ll answer my question, but I would very much like to know why women’s single sex rights are being treated as some over indulgent privilege?

Women face death threats, rape threats, doxxing, job loss and more for trying to retain our single sex rights as set out in the EA2010. We are then told that both sides are as bad as each other. I’d love to vote Labour, but as long as you support self ID and the destruction of women’s rights, I and every woman I personally know will not vote for you. This is a pivotal moment for women.

I am still utterly aghast at being told by @mnhq to stop talkng about wonema rights.

On a forum for - predominantly - women/mothers!

Repetitive? Maybe. But perhaps that gives you an indication of whats important to your users/members?

Stop censoring us!

Eh ? Remove posts? Shouldn’t KS and BP be aware of the strength of feeling on this issue ?
I am another mother of teenage daughters. My eldest is anxious about using loos alone in public places at her university because of the possibility of a male being in there too. Neither wants to use changing rooms in shops, for the same reason. Why should my dds feel afraid now in public space ?
As can be seen by this thread, women want answers on this, and Labour are not listening. I care very much about climate change and the environment, I want to vote for a party that feels the same, yet I refuse to vote for anyone who will also destroy the rights of my daughters.
My question is why should we vote for you when you don’t see us ?

What good ideas do Labour have to sort out the financial crisis? It is easy to snipe at the Conservative Party from the sidelines but what are you actually going to do to fix things?

This. Please tell him this.

Agree with what everyone has said on Labour alienating their core voters over self-ID....

I want to ask about climate change. I was really pleased to see the clean energy plans at the party conference, but does Labour plan to do about the climate impacts we're already facing and which will get worse in the future? Would they be willing to strengthen the Climate Change Act 2008 to make sure that resilience to climate impacts is not just assessed but actually done, and properly financed?

Why has Labour ruled out becoming part of the EU single market? If it’s “immigration” how does Labour intend to address the workforce shortage? And why not be part of the Customs Union and immediately reduce unnecessary barriers to businesses that export to Europe (particularly small businesses), as well as at a stroke solving the problem with Northern Ireland? It seems perverse. Most of your potential voters are well past the anti EU stage, partly because they’re beginning to realise that many of our problems are of our own making.

Also agree with the self-ID stuff. Release your party from this damaging, anti-science delusion. Let everyone live as they want but protect the privacy, dignity and safety of women. Biology matters.

Thank you for asking this - this is exactly what I came on here to write but you've phrased it perfectly. The situation is dire!

I hope mnhq don’t remove posts. I’m sure whoever is reading it can move past them and collate into key questions, but imo it’s important the strength of feeling is known

Question for Keir Starmer about misogyny as a hate crime.

I've heard Labour’s commitment to making misogyny a hate crime, but very little detail about how this will be assessed and what impact it will have on women's lives.
I understand this will be brought in on the protected characteristic in EA2010 of sex, whether actual or perceived. The other characteristics are already protected in hate crime legislation race, gender identity, disability, religion and sexual orientation.

Can you confirm misogyny will be on the basis of actual or perceived sex of a person and not on the social construct of gender?

What benefit will this have on women's lives?

At the start of your leadership, you rightly committed to tackling anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

Will you commit to taking the bullying and harassment of Rosie Duffield MP for her gender-critical views- which are a protected belief under the Equality Act 2010- equally seriously?

How difficult will it be to undo all the dreadful things the tories have done in the last decade?

I'm a labour member, living in North Shropshire. I saw how HO didn't support the local party after Owen Paterson's downfall. At the hustings, only the Tory categorically promised to protect the rights of women. So I spoiled my ballot, as I will never disgrace those women who died to ensure me a vote. I watched as the Labour Women's Conference was hijacked by women who had no time for feminists. We fought back and this year things were slightly better - because the more people hear the dangers to women and girls of self ID, the more support women have. This year you refused our Labour Women's Declaration stall, as well as Lesbian Labour and Filia. Not a great look. Presumably because you didn't want a load of TRA's making a big scene outside your upbeat conference and blithely throwing women under the bus again. Rishi has the potential to be a good leader, if his party doesn't scupper it for him. Before the Tories imploded you weren't doing that great in the polls. You may find that come a GE you need every vote. How can I, and the many other women who also believe in sex based rights, vote for you if you refuse to define us, let alone protect us? Helen Morgan is doing a good job in the county, you need my vote. If you protect women and children, commit to proportional representation and binding climate control agreements, you will have my vote and my activism. Once again, do you see there is a conflict of rights between two EA protected characteristics and that women - adult human females - need your support on this?

There is a two year wait for places at SEN schools in my area. Two years of children being left to struggle in mainstream schooling that is not suitable for their needs. What will you do to address this?

SEN qualified Teaching Assistants deserve more pay!

Keir Starmer, I am a British born Asian woman who is a survivor of domestic abuse and multiple sexual assaults by violent men. During one such assault a violent male broke my leg.

If I say I want female care when I have hospital appointments - will my needs be classed as hateful and will I be denied healthcare unless I accept it from men who wear lipstick?

I am also the mother of a child with autism who was bullied by her non binary identifying friend group of five girls who all now identify as non binary to also come out as non binary too. If my child says she doesn't believe children are born in the wrong bodies will she be accused of a hate crime?

My dying elderly Asian mother requires female care for her intimate health issues. She cannot accept this kind of care from men. It is forbidden her belief system and forbidden in her culture.
Will she be denied this care and be classed as hateful? She has worked and paid taxes for 70 years in the UK.

Keir - you have an image of being a dull and boring politician. I have heard people saying that those who know you would say you're the opposite of that - the "life and soul of the party" in fact. And this photo, from the Labour Party website, suggests a very different persona from the one you project today. So my question is this - are you purposely projecting "dull and boring" or are you just struggling to get across the "real you"? I wish you well and would love for you to win the next general election, but I think it's authentic politicians who win these days and I'd like to see more authenticity from you.

Hi all. We've been super clear that there's zero point asking the same question over and over and that we'll delete endless repetitive questions. We completely get the strength of feeling and we've allowed plenty of questions on the subject. We'll certainly reflect that in the those we choose to put to Keir Starmer and Brigitte Phillipson but this is an interview with potentially the future Prime Minister and Education minister. Please respect that there are other issues of importance and stop asking the same question.