Bridget Phillipson blocking EHRC guidance - thread 2

[lcakethereforeIam]

Thread 1

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5462015-brigitte-phillipson-blocking-ehrc-guidance

Hope I've spelled her name correctly this time.

Ooh 'eck, handbags - or dispatch cases - at dawn.

Isn’t Alastair Darling dead?

It is a strange relationship/structure that Starmer has set up.

Something like this?

Starmer PM > Harman (Starmer's Advisor)
> WESC > Phillipson (Minister)

Or like this?

Harman (Advisor) > Starmer PM
> WESC > Phillipson (Minister)

Who, if anyone, did he consult?
The Women & Equalities Select Committee?
His Minister?
Why did he feel the need to do this?
And why on earth such a divisive, despised figure as Harman?

Not forgetting that the Cabinet Office has just appointed an Advisor to Phillipson with one of their priorities being:

• Ensuring all LGBT+ people are safe, included, and protected from discrimination including by delivering a full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices and also taking wider steps to improve trans equality;

Equality Legislation Advisor & Coordinator
Cabinet Office

Job summary

The Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO) sits at the heart of the Cabinet Office, leading on some of the government's top priorities.

The OEO consists of the Women & Equality Unit, the Disability Unit and the Race Equality Unit, which look after different portfolios working to Equalities Ministers based in various Departments led by Bridget Phillipson as Minister for Women & Equalities. The Social Mobility Commission secretariat also sits within the OEO and reports to the Social Mobility Commissioners.

Amongst the OEO's current priorities are:

• Ensuring that equalities are at centre of the cross- government work to develop and deliver all the Government's Missions including the Opportunity Mission led by Minister Phillipson as both SoS Education and Minister for Women & Equalities;
• Leading work across government to tackle race inequality;
• Extending gender pay gap reporting requirements, introducing ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting and extending the right to equal pay to ethnic minorities and disabled people;
• Championing the rights of disabled people and working with them, so that their views and voices are at the heart of all that government does;
• Ensuring all LGBT+ people are safe, included, and protected from discrimination including by delivering a full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices and also taking wider steps to improve trans equality;
• Improving the evidence base about equalities.

This role is part of the Equality Framework Team (EFT which is responsible for Britain's equality framework, including legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 and the sponsorship of institutions such as the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The sub-team in which this role sits covers a range of policy relating to equality law, including disability and religion or belief.

----

If I give Phillipson 100% of the benefit of the doubt and she really does think that she is "in charge", how much are the cards being stacked against her getting her way?

I wouldn't be giving Phillipson 100% of the benefit of the doubt, but either way, it's a shit-show, isn't it?

It's probably quite useful in the 'fingers in ears lalalalala, can't do my actual responsibilities, I have my leadership campaign to think about' circus. Philipson and Harman can now point at each other going 'it's her decision' 'no it's her decision'. Will probably work for a year or so.

To further elevate standards in public life, I'd like to see Harriet Harman and Bridget Phillipson wresting (fully clothed) in the mud one rainy day on College Green.

Good point.

To further elevate standards in public life, I'd like to see Harriet Harman and Bridget Phillipson wresting (fully clothed) in the mud one rainy day on College Green.
I'd pay good money to see that.

Labour's dithering on this, and Bridget Phillipson in particular, cost them my vote. I bet I'm not the only one.

Good grief!! Have you seen this?? (Beer tokens accepted)

JUST LAST NIGHT!!

The message Keir took from the local elections was that the public wanted him to continue doing what he's doing only more so 🙄 So expect lots more prevarication on the EHRC guidance because our tube of a PM seems to think the public don't want legal sex-based protections for women and girls.

Apparently, his idea of what voters want is to rejoin the EU, funding for tidy town schemes, nationalising British Steel and better signposting of apprenticeship schemes for young people. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/11/same-old-starmer-but-with-new-feelings/
http://archive.today/2o5fW

yeah I'm not sure Skier gets it?

He's just gifted Reform a massive public win and all he should be thinking about right now is "who's the number 1 reason Farage will be PM and why is it him?"

I suppose his reaction to his speech's poor reception will be to double down even more. All this stagey emotion as if better comms could convince voters to like him.

He's like that boy at school who thinks "she said she's not interested, but what if I charm her with even more Holy Grail quotes"

Electorate: "Kier, we fucking hate what labour have done so far."

Starmer: "Ok, I'll do it to you bigger and faster!"

Electorate: ".....ffs where's Nige? Can he really be worse than this?"

We're doomed.

FWR fave James Kirkup has analysed Keir’s speech as Starmer trying to microtarget various groups of voters but mainly he’s trying to keep his job by appeasing Labour backbenchers.

Party before country, commes toujours Keir 🤷‍♀️

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/f957e7e6af38b6ff

I think my favourite description of Starmer’s speech is this by Tim Stanley:

’I can save you the bother of watching the reset speech: his father was a toolmaker. We’ve come to the end of Keir Starmer’s personality, not a long road to start with, and short of wearing a fez or announcing a sex change, there are no depths left to reveal. In a vote of confidence in the Parliamentary Labour Party, brimming with “talent”, he has brought back Harriet Harman and Gordon Brown. Harman is in charge of women, despite being unable to define one. Gordon is special envoy on global finance, because Keith Vaz was unavailable.'

Camilla and Tim break it down

Jess Phillips needs to fit in somewhere, too. 😬

Bloody cabinet bullshit happening today , I do hope this still gets laid this week....

King’s Speech tomorrow so could technically be laid then, but we are running out of days in May!

Parliament goes into recess on Thursday 21st, so I think there are only 7 days available, even if we include this Friday 15th which is not a sitting day for either house (though I’m not sure of the technicalities on that, as it is ‘during the existence of a Parliament’).

Erskine May:

"What constitutes laying must be a matter for the decision of each House. In 1948, however, the Laying of Documents before Parliament (Interpretation) Act 1948 was passed ‘for the removal of doubt’. It declares that statutory references to the laying of instruments or other documents before either House are (unless the contrary intention appears) to be construed as references to the taking, during the existence of a Parliament, of such action as, under the standing or sessional orders or other directions of that House, or under the practice of that House, constitutes laying, notwithstanding that the action can be taken at a time when that House is not sitting. By Standing Order No 159, the House of Commons has directed that the delivery of a copy of a statutory instrument to the Votes and Proceedings Office on any day during the existence of a Parliament shall be deemed to be a laying. As a matter of practice, instruments are not normally laid on Saturdays, Sundays, bank holidays, Good Friday, Christmas Day or after 3 pm on Fridays, unless the House is still sitting. The Standing Order does not apply to special procedure orders or to any other instruments, including some of those subject to the affirmative resolution procedure, which are required to be laid before Parliament or before the Commons only before coming into operation."

Apparently Jess resigned, so that is one down for Bridget's fight.

My informants tell
me most likely laid next week after kings speech however today’s shenanigans put everything in flux.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1e2n923v1lt?post=asset%3Ac4ed217c-aa18-4a41-b3ae-b51db5689edc#post

I've always known Jess Phillips had a brass neck on her but criticising Starmer on the basis of 'deeds not words' is a bit rich for even her. She's not exactly been productive at managing her brief: she spent more time in trying to stop rape gang inquiries from happening than in supporting them happening.

And her attitude towards the EHRC Code of Practice being deliberately delayed has been woeful: followed the party line completely, none of her previous 'truth to power' bluster. For all her big talk when in opposition, Phillips getting into government hasn't benefitted her fellow women and girls much.

She has been a massive disappointment. I used to think that she genuinely gave a shit, but now I wonder if the whole VAWG thing was just a meal ticket for her.

Both Jess Phillips and Bridget Phillipson trade heavily on having worked in refuges for women but this experience of refuge work doesn't seem to have informed their political vision or ministerial work in any meaningful way. What they say and what they do are greatly disconnected.