Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Election of new chair for Women and Equalities Committee

41 replies

FallingAwake · 02/09/2026 22:24

As Sarah Owen has joined Burnham's government there's going to be an election for a new chair of this select committee.

Olivia Bailey (sacked from a junior ministerial Equalities role when Burnham became PM), Anneliese Dodds (Minister for Women and for Development until Feb 2025) and Preet Kaur Gill (appointed to a junior ministerial role in Health and Social Care in May 2026 but sacked by Burnham in July) are standing.

I have no info on who is likely to win the contest.

OP posts:
Olderbadger1 · 02/09/2026 22:33

Lord save us. Olivia and Annelise would be appalling. Does anyone know anything about Preet? Any chance that the WEC might have a chair who actually cares about women or is that just a silly idea?

RogueFemale · 02/09/2026 22:35

Dodds is my MP and is vile. I pray it isn't her.

BackToLurk · 02/09/2026 22:37

Olderbadger1 · 02/09/2026 22:33

Lord save us. Olivia and Annelise would be appalling. Does anyone know anything about Preet? Any chance that the WEC might have a chair who actually cares about women or is that just a silly idea?

Preet

Election of new chair for Women and Equalities Committee
Myalternate · 02/09/2026 22:40

Preet won’t be considered 😕 because she’s sensible.

Reports in July 2026 indicated that Health Secretary James Murray removed Gill from her leading role regarding the trial brief due to her safety reservations, despite his public insistence that policy disagreements did not dictate portfolio changes.

ItsCoolForCats · 03/09/2026 08:23

Preet would be the best candidate. How is the chair appointed? Does the current committee vote for them? If so, it will definitely be one of the other two 😒

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 09:43

Don't rule out Preet yet. It is a whole vote of the commons.

In the UK House of Commons, select committee chairs are elected by secret ballot of all MPs using an alternative vote system,

We know from the fuss about the attempt to block the EHCR guidance by a daily motion only about a quarter of MPs are full on TA types. So actually Preet's stance on women existing is not disqualifying. Especially as it is a secret ballot so MPs don't have to impress anyone.

Remember too the Labour women MPs elected Rosie to be their chair twice in a secret ballot.

The problem for the TAs is Bailey is considerably more crazy on social issues than Dodds, though Preet is better than either.

So watch this vote carefully folks.

ItsCoolForCats · 03/09/2026 09:47

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 09:43

Don't rule out Preet yet. It is a whole vote of the commons.

In the UK House of Commons, select committee chairs are elected by secret ballot of all MPs using an alternative vote system,

We know from the fuss about the attempt to block the EHCR guidance by a daily motion only about a quarter of MPs are full on TA types. So actually Preet's stance on women existing is not disqualifying. Especially as it is a secret ballot so MPs don't have to impress anyone.

Remember too the Labour women MPs elected Rosie to be their chair twice in a secret ballot.

The problem for the TAs is Bailey is considerably more crazy on social issues than Dodds, though Preet is better than either.

So watch this vote carefully folks.

Thanks @fromorbit. Do you know when the vote will be?

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 10:03

ItsCoolForCats · 03/09/2026 09:47

Thanks @fromorbit. Do you know when the vote will be?

Found the vote page - the vote is on September 14.

The page has list od supporting MPS for nominees so far.

committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/news/217588/chair-nominations-open-for-the-women-and-equalities-committee/

Bailey has 21, Preet 19.

No list for Dodds yet.

Going to be tight it looks like.

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 10:05

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 10:03

Found the vote page - the vote is on September 14.

The page has list od supporting MPS for nominees so far.

committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/news/217588/chair-nominations-open-for-the-women-and-equalities-committee/

Bailey has 21, Preet 19.

No list for Dodds yet.

Going to be tight it looks like.

Preet has a lot of Labour supporters so far. So this is going to be very interesting indeed.

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 10:15

How the Voting system works all 650 MPs get a vote.

On the day of election, the ballot will be held between 10am and 5pm.
Ballot papers
MPs are issued with separate ballot papers for each committee, as part of a booklet of papers. Each will be a different colour and will give the names of candidates in alphabetical order.
Members complete the ballot papers at one of the stations erected in the room, and then deposit them in one of the ballot boxes at the exit.
Members should vote by ranking as many candidates as they wish in order of preference, marking 1 by the name of their first preference, 2 by the name of their second preference, and so on. A single X mark is acceptable if only one preference is being given.
Members can indicate as few or as many preferences as they wish.
The count
The ballots are counted under the Alternative Vote system. Any candidate who receives more than half the first preferences for each chair is elected.

If no candidate receives more than half, the candidate with the lowest number of first preference votes is eliminated. Their votes are then reallocated among the remaining candidates, according to the second, third, etc preferences indicated on the ballot papers.

Again, if no candidate has more than half the votes, the process of elimination and distribution is repeated, until one candidate has more than half the votes.
The results
The results are published under the direction of the Speaker as soon as is practicable after the ballot has closed. The successful candidate formally takes up their position as committee chair when the remaining members of the committee have been appointed by the House.

I think it will be Dodds or Preet. Though someone else could stand nominations run till Sept 7th.

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 10:19

NB folks lobby your MPs if you think there is any chance they are fairly sane. A danger could be some MPs don't bother voting.

ItsCoolForCats · 03/09/2026 10:30

Great, thanks @fromorbit. No point in emailing my Labour MP, unfortunately. She signed the early day motion against the EHRC guidance 🙄

Jaxhog · 03/09/2026 10:34

I've emailed my MP, Joy Morrisey. I think she's fairly sane, and has just been appointed shadow minister for the same position, so could also have some sway with other MPs.

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 11:01

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 10:19

NB folks lobby your MPs if you think there is any chance they are fairly sane. A danger could be some MPs don't bother voting.

If you have a more genderist MP you can still lobby but if you want to be more subtle try to get them to vote for Preet not because she believes women are real [I wouldn't necessarily mention that], but because her background and experience makes her best suited to the role because she has way more experience of ordinary life and vital skills.

She comes from a working class Sikh background. Her father was a foreman, and later a bus driver, and her mother worked as a seamstress and Preet attended a comprehensive, then the University of East London. She is the first female British Sikh MP elected to the House of Commons.
Preet was a social worker in Waltham Forest and Birmingham specialising in child protection and serving as children's services manager in Birmingham from 2010 to 2017. So she has worked right at the sharp end in very difficult conditions.

In contrast :

Olivia Blake's mother is Judith Blake, Baroness Blake of Leeds CBE , a professional local Labour politician, former Leeds city council leader, appointed a Lord in 2021 and originally a teacher. Olivia Blake attended a Grammar school, and Sheffield University and is very middle class. She has followed a political career since leaving university and has little life experience.

Dame Anneliese Jane Dodds DBE had a Chartered accountant father, she attended private school and then went to Oxford University, her master's degree in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh, and a PhD degree in government at the London School of Economics. She was a lecturer before getting involved in Politics as an MEP. Dodds has a powerful resume and much academic knowledge, but the chair of the committee requires someone with way more hands on experience.

Even if MPs vote against Preet because she believes in women, make them feel guilty about selecting more privileged women over her. Imply they are being racist and classist. Which they probably are to be frank.

FallingAwake · 03/09/2026 13:34

It's Olivia Bailey who is standing, not Olivia Blake.

OP posts:
Wishesandhorses · 03/09/2026 14:04

Unfortunately for activists, the fact it has the word 'women' means it is a very hot target seat from which to ensure the only 'women' actually centred and provided for are the ones with penises. It is entirely about suppressing, controlling and stamping out the needs of actual women.

Rather like the DEFRA has long been known as the Department for the the Elimination of Farming.

DrBlackbird · 03/09/2026 14:21

Preet would be the best candidate.

Therefore, she won’t get appointed. Not in this Labour government.

MrsOvertonsWindow · 03/09/2026 14:31

Bailey's not the sharpest tool in the box. She did a car crash interview with GMB when challenged about the government dragging it's feet in implementing the SC judgment

https://x.com/WomensRightsNet/status/2043696040218341414

She also invited the disgraced Mridhul Wadhwa to an LGBT meeting on hate crime despite him having to resign after a court found he harassed a woman working for rape crisis?

https://soniasodha.substack.com/p/how-is-the-government-so-useless

She could be good for entertainment value?

Women's Rights Network - WRN profile picture

Women's Rights Network - WRN (@WomensRightsNet) on X

Sigh. The excuses of @oliviabaileymp are, frankly, painful to listen to. We are (almost) cringing in embarrassment for her. For heaven's sake, just get on with it!

https://x.com/WomensRightsNet/status/2043696040218341414

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 03/09/2026 16:03

As Sarah Owen has joined Burnham's government..... OMG, what sort of job did he give to such a smirky dimwitted genderwanger.

Out of the options mentioned so far, Preet sounds like the best bet for women, so best of luck to her.

I still can't believe Mr Man of the North would put Owen's in government, he must be paying off a debit to her for supporting his coup or something. 😱

MyOliveDog · 03/09/2026 16:24

I’ve emailed my mp using @fromorbit’s info asking her to support Preet - she also signed the EHRC code motion but I think she’s clueless rather than malicious.

AimsAndObjectives · 03/09/2026 16:31

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 03/09/2026 16:03

As Sarah Owen has joined Burnham's government..... OMG, what sort of job did he give to such a smirky dimwitted genderwanger.

Out of the options mentioned so far, Preet sounds like the best bet for women, so best of luck to her.

I still can't believe Mr Man of the North would put Owen's in government, he must be paying off a debit to her for supporting his coup or something. 😱

As Sarah Owen has joined Burnham's government..... OMG, what sort of job did he give to such a smirky dimwitted genderwanger.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 03/09/2026 16:41

AimsAndObjectives · 03/09/2026 16:31

As Sarah Owen has joined Burnham's government..... OMG, what sort of job did he give to such a smirky dimwitted genderwanger.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Thanks, I now recall that she was his biggest support when he was in the wilderness, I think my brain just choose to blank it out.

I'd say poor NI, but recent events suggest she might be a good fit for them, they're as captured as she is.

Poor women in NI.

ArabellaScott · 03/09/2026 17:24

Let's hope Preet swings it.

ArabellaScott · 03/09/2026 17:26

I see they have an enquiry on 'Health impacts of breast implants and other cosmetic procedures'

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/9081/health-impacts-of-breast-implants-and-other-cosmetic-procedures/publications/

fromorbit · 03/09/2026 18:48

Rosie Duffield MP

NGL, it is ofc somewhat galling to see Labour MPs competing to be new Chair of the Women & Equalities Select Committee - not one candidate I've seen so far has ever served on the Committee as a member before, as I've done twice now. (I can't stand as an Independent MP as it's a Labour led committee - not that I'd win if I was still Labour!). Labour TRA MPs, Alex Sobel, etc, all backing Olivia Bailey apparently. Yippee