Speeches by Starmer, Rayner and Dodds at the Labour Women’s Conference

Speaking at Labour Women’s Conference, Keir Starmer MP, Leader of the Labour Party, said:

It’s fantastic to be here at Women’s Conference and conference, delegates, Ruth Hayes and the National Women’s Committee, Ann Dean in the Chair for Conference Arrangements. Everyone who puts in the hard work for days like today all year-round – I know that’s what it takes. 

But just take a moment to look out at what your hard work delivers.

The Labour women’s movement – standing together.

And conference, because it’s been so long since we met in person, I’m afraid the goodbyes build up.

And this is the first time we’ve met since two giants of our movement, Leaders of this party, announced they would be stepping down from Parliament.

Two women who, through their campaigning, their encouragement, their example have done so much to build up women’s representation across our movement and have inspired so many people here today to get involved.

So conference, let’s say a proper thank you – Harriet Harman and Margaret Beckett.

And conference, we also said our last goodbyes to another fierce champion of women this year. 

One of the most fearless and determined fighters for justice this movement has ever seen.

Our first female general secretary – Margaret McDonagh.

And for those of you staying for the rest of this week there will be chance to pay your respects to Margaret, again.

Conference, as we have seen again in recent weeks, the fight for equality, for justice, for a woman’s agency over her body, the right not to be objectified, demeaned, judged or worse still has many battles to win. 

We have seen women holding powerful men to account.

Women coming forward with allegations about serious sexual violence.

Who are then quickly disparaged or dismissed online - even threatened.

It’s a sharp reminder of the hard road we must walk to eradicate toxic attitudes towards women from our society. 

But conference, I believe in this movement, I believe in the strength of this room and that is why we have made halving violence against women and girls one of our five national missions for the next Labour government.

It’s a signal of our intent to tackle this scourge head-on.

It means reforming the police, compulsory training on violence against women and girls. A specialist rape unit in every force, dedicated rape courts, trained domestic abuse workers in every police control room. A proper victims’ bill, a domestic abuse register and yes, it means we’ll take on the tech companies who push misogyny into the minds of our children for profit.

But conference, the broader lesson is this - don’t succumb to the Tory project.

The hope they want to kick out of our country.

Government can make the difference for women and working people.

We can lighten the load for mothers with a reformed childcare system.

We can transform the inequalities in our NHS and the mortality gap which sees black women more likely to die in childbirth.

We can have equal respect at work, with a right to flexible working and parental leave as a day one-right.

This is the reward of reform.

A simple message we take to the country - that Labour will make a practical difference to the lives of millions of women in this country.

But more than that, that step-by-step, reform by reform, mission by mission, we can also drain the swamp of hate and inequality through the efforts of reform, campaigning and a Labour government on your side.

Because, if you do ever look at the news, or the online debate, and feel despondent then remind yourself of this.

It’s actually a story about Harriet Harman because 41 years ago, in her first debate in Parliament she was chastised by the Prime Minster of the day - a woman, I won’t say her name in this city…

Who accused Harriet of being too extreme in her demands and what was the object of her radicalism, conference?

Out of hour childcare for school kids. 

Something that is commonplace across Britain now, but more importantly – that we have come to take for granted, The Tories, even on their worst days, could never take away because this movement changed the country’s attitudes the way Britain saw your lives.

So why can’t we imagine a society where violence against women and girls is stamped out everywhere?

Why can’t we better educate our children – prepare them for a more equal future?

Why can’t the future citizens of our country look back at this generation?

As the one which set women free from the culture of misogyny?

Conference, the truth is we can.

And not only that – we can fight for it.

So, let’s get out there and fight, conference.

Thank you.

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Deputy Leader and Shadow Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, speaking at Labour’s National Annual Women's Conference 2023, said:

Good morning Ladies of Liverpool!

It is an honour to stand here today, as your Deputy Leader, and look out at so many inspiring women.

Let’s face it - sometimes it’s tiring being a woman in this world.

Especially under a Tory Government!

But that is why it falls upon us to continue the work the last Labour government started, standing side-by-side, so that all of us succeed in battling inequality, together.

I want to start today with a story.

Picture the scene.

A baby boy is born.

Destined for Eton, or Harrow or Winchester.

Then PPE at Oxford.

When he walks into the Houses of Parliament he feels no imposter syndrome.

Only the feeling that he is home. He is exactly where he should be.

He doesn’t struggle to make his voice heard.

No hesitation to steal a well-made point and call it his own.

On the other side of the country, a girl is growing up on a council estate. In poverty.

Taught that women do certain things, and men do others.

To put everyone else first.

Overlooked, undervalued, underestimated.

She’ll never walk in the corridors of Westminster.

It’s not the place for her. 

Only that isn’t what happens.

She joins a union.

She learns the power of workers coming together… to fight for more.

A Labour Government introduces the minimum wage. She can afford more than one meal a day.

A Labour government builds council houses. She gets the keys to her first home, to stability.

A Labour government introduces the equal pay act. She gets a pay rise - enough so she can save.

A Labour government builds a sure start centre at the end of her road, where she learns how to be a good mum. She meets other young mums and they find power in each other.

And in the end, that girl goes from her council estate to the parliamentary estate!

Conference, like so many of us in this room today, I wouldn't be standing here today without a Labour government.

Labour is the Party of equality. Of the Equality Act. Of Equal Pay. Of Sure Start.

I’m proud to say that in the Labour Party today, we now have more women MPs than men.

With Rachel’s eyes fixed on being the first woman Chancellor.

We are turning the tide of history.

But the battle isn’t won. There still aren’t enough women around the table.

It is not enough for us to cling onto our seats and celebrate the fight it took to get us here.

You only need to look at the horrific acts of powerful men abusing young women and hiding in plain sight.

This is why the next Labour government will fight for every girl in this country to have a bright future.

To stand up for every woman.

To break the glass ceiling and the class ceiling.

Our New Deal for Working People will make work more family friendly, crack down on unfair pay and improve access to justice for those discriminated against at work.

And as I was pleased to announce today Labour would properly tackle sexual harassment at work

A shocking two-thirds of young women have been sexually harassed at work. This must change.

That’s why the next Labour government will amend the Equalities Act to introduce a legal duty for employers to take all reasonable steps to stop sexual harassment before it starts.

But that’s not all.

We’ll make misogyny a hate crime, toughen sentences for perpetrators of rape and stalking, and halve the level of violence against women and girls.

Women suffering the awful symptoms of menopause at work will get the support they deserve.

We will empower women entrepreneurs.

And we’ll tackle the crisis in women’s health by training 7,500 more doctors and 10,000 more nurses and midwives each year.

When it comes to building a better future for women - we won’t just talk the talk. We’ll walk the walk.

Because our lives, our careers, our futures depend on it.

We can’t continue down the path we are on.

Women unsafe on Britain’s streets. Two-thirds of us harassed in our workplaces.

We must get into government and build on the legacy of the last Labour Government. We must get into government and continue the fight for equality.

And Conference, Labour must get into government to give that young girl living in poverty her future back.

Now, without further ado.

I want to introduce one of the most formidable women in our movement.

She is working across our movement - the Shadow Cabinet, members and activists - to build on the legacy of the last Labour Government and empower women everywhere.

Anneliese Dodds.

Anneliese Dodds MP, Labour's Party Chair and Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, speaking at Labour’s National Annual Women's Conference 2023, said:

Thank you for that introduction, Angela.

And thank you for all the great work you do for women, not least on the New Deal for Working People which will massively improve women’s working lives. 

Speaking of great work for women, wasn’t this a brilliant summer for women’s sport?

The Lionesses’ amazing run to the World Cup final. The thrilling Women's Ashes series. England reaching the Netball World Championship final. 

I want to congratulate these women for smashing through barriers in sport. And send my solidarity to Jenni Hermoso and her Spanish teammates.

These women faced open misogyny in their moment of ultimate triumph and said: we won’t stand for it. Sisters, we stand with you.

I also want to send my solidarity to the women of Ukraine and Afghanistan, who have showed such courage in the face of oppression, harassment and violence.

And for those women and their children who have fled their home to seek refuge in our country – you are welcome here.

Friends, we gather today for our first in-person women’s conference since 2019. 

The last four years have been immensely challenging.

First Covid-19. Then the cost of living crisis.

Thanks to the Conservatives, women paid the price for both.

Who stood by while women bore the brunt of rising poverty before the pandemic?

The Tories did.

Who left women hundreds of pounds a year worse off today than they were in 2010?

The Tories did.

Who allowed the gender pay gap to rise?

The Tories did.

This is the cost of the Conservatives – and women can’t afford another five years of it.

Politics is about priorities. And the Conservatives have deprioritised women.

Just look at the ministerial merry-go-round in the Government Equalities Office. 

At our last women’s conference in March 2022, Liz Truss was Minister for Women and Equalities – remember her?

By this time last year, ‘Lettuce Liz’ had replaced herself as Minister for Women and Equalities with Nadhim Zahawi – but never bothered to allocate him any responsibilities.

Today Kemi Badenoch holds the role – a Minister who, when faced with the epidemic of violence against women and girls, soaring NHS waiting lists for women and the pernicious gender pay gap, is nowhere to be found.

She does, however, have time to pursue her top priority - appointing a toilet tsar.

And she’s supported in that vital work by Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor who did nothing to help women brutally exposed to the cost of living crisis.

Well, today I have a message for them both: 

You can’t try and claim ownership of women’s equality if your party has been failing women for thirteen years. 

It’s Labour that is the true party of women’s equality. The party of the Equal Pay Act. The party that supported women to exercise bodily autonomy with the right to choose. The party of the Equality Act. And so much more.

We’ll take no lessons on women’s equality from the Conservatives.

Instead, we learn from those who actually delivered for women in government. Leaders like Harriet Harman, the architect of our Equality Act. 

Harriet is standing down at the next election after more than forty years as an MP. The Mother of the House. The second woman Leader of the Opposition. A woman who has done so much to advance women’s equality.

Harriet, you have been a brilliant servant to our party and our country. I’m sure the whole hall will join me in thanking you for that service.

Harriet’s achievements remind us of the progress we have made for women’s equality. And the need for strong women in Parliament to deliver it.

Because as Harriet herself said: “There are some things only women MPs can do, and without women, they will not be done”.

That’s why women’s representation in Parliament is so important. And why I’m so proud that Labour is the first political party to reach parity in terms of men and women MPs.

A great example of how positive action works.

Action that was taken by Labour. But opposed by the Tories. The same old story. 

And for 13 years this useless Conservative Government has failed to do anything to boost diversity in politics. So as usual, it is left to Labour to put that right.

I can announce today that the next Labour Government will enact Section 106 of the Equality Act. We will require political parties to publish anonymised data on the diversity of their candidates – so that every party competing for elections to Westminster, to Holyrood or to the Senedd has a duty to demonstrate progress.

The Conservatives could have done this years ago, but they didn’t have the guts. Only Labour will act to make politics more representative of the country we serve.

To bring people with different experiences and backgrounds into Parliament, to do the things that only women MPs, Black, Asian and ethnic minority MPs, disabled MPs and LGBT+ MPs can do.

Take the menopause. This is a condition that affects 51% of the population. If it happened to men, there would be outrage. Research. Policy solutions. And action. Instead, change has happened at a glacial pace. 

Six months ago, I started a national conversation about how we properly support women in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

Women of our age do a lot, and complain little. 

We’re often holding down a job, going through menopause, caring for elderly parents, supporting older children and more. The pressure is immense – and our potential too often untapped. 

If women aged 50-64 had the same employment rate now as before the pandemic, they could be contributing up to £7 billion more to the UK economy – £7 billion worth of untapped contribution and creativity.

It’s a tragedy that one in ten women experiencing menopause leave their jobs and 14% reduce their hours due to the lack of support in the workplace.

The Conservatives don’t care about this. But Labour does – and that’s why I announced this year that Labour will require large employers to publish menopause action plans to support their women workers. 

It’s also why I can announce today that the next Labour Government will produce menopause workplace guidance to help women working for small and medium-sized businesses too.

Conference, with the right support we can unleash the talent and creativity of women across our country. That’s good for women. Good for business. And good for the economy too.

Because we know that women’s equality and economic growth go hand in hand. 

That’s why the last Labour Government legislated to support women to reach their full potential.

Legislation like our Equality Act, which is still protecting women from discrimination in countless ways every day. 

The Conservatives will never understand that success is not achieved by pushing people down – but by pulling everyone up. 

For them, equality is just an afterthought or a fight to pick. But for Labour it is fundamental to who we are. 

That’s why it’s such an honour and a privilege to do this job. If Labour wins the next election, I will become the UK’s first ever Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, with a seat at the top table, dedicated to advocating for women in all their diversity in every Cabinet conversation.

That alone though won’t be enough to give women their future back. To do that, we must harness the talent, creativity and brilliance of every woman in our country.

How? With Labour’s mission-driven agenda for a better Britain.

Because to deliver the highest sustained growth in the G7, we will create better workplaces for women.

We’ll start with our New Deal for Working People. From flexible working to stronger equal pay rights to tackling workplace harassment and so much more, this will transform the lives of working women everywhere, including LGBT+, Black, Asian and ethnic minority, and disabled women.

And we will tap into the talents of women of all ages, whether by supporting start-ups and female entrepreneurs or by bringing in that better workplace support for women experiencing menopause. 

We’ll also tackle the Gender Pay Gap, building on the findings of the review currently being led by Baroness Frances O’Grady, supported by Rachel Reeves, Angela and myself.

We will make Britain a clean energy superpower, ensuring women benefit from the good, new jobs the transition will create.

We will build an NHS fit for the future to support women with their health and wellbeing, from cutting gynaecology waiting lists to delivering better access to mental health support.

And we will incentivise continuity of care in maternity services to reverse the shameful increase in women dying in childbirth – and set a target to close the shocking gap that leaves Black women four times more likely to die while giving birth.

We will deliver safer streets, homes, and workplaces - and use every lever to halve the level of violence against women and girls, making this a government-wide strategic commitment. 

We will make hatred against women the hate crime we know it to be, and strengthen existing laws so that hate crimes against LGBT+ and disabled women attract the same, tough sentences. 

We will break down barriers to opportunity at every stage by enacting the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act and introducing a Race Equality Act to tackle the structural racial inequality that scars our society.

And we will oppose any Conservative attempt to undermine Labour’s Equality Act, and protect and uphold it in government.

Sisters, this is Labour’s plan for women.

To put women at the heart of our mission-driven agenda for government.

To provide every woman with a fair shot at life, in every part of our country.

To give women their hope, their optimism and their future back.