Labour MP Jess Phillips has described her party as “sexist” for never having a permanent female leader in its history. Speaking at the Hay literary festival, the former safeguarding minister responded to a question about the absence of a female Labour leader by stating, “like all institutions, it’s a bit sexist innit.” She added that “every institution that every single person in this room works for is led by the patriarchy.”
Resignation and Context
Phillips, who represents Birmingham Yardley, resigned as minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls on 12 May. She was one of four ministers to step down that day following Labour’s poor performance in the local elections, citing a loss of confidence in Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Health Secretary Wes Streeting followed suit on 14 May.
While the Conservative Party has had three female prime ministers, Labour has never elected a permanent female leader. Margaret Beckett and Harriet Harman have only served as acting leaders. This record appears unlikely to change if a Labour leadership contest occurs this summer, with Andy Burnham emerging as the likely frontrunner if he wins the Makerfield by-election on 18 June, and Streeting as his main rival from the party’s right.
Leadership Prospects
Angela Rayner, cleared by HMRC over her tax affairs earlier this month, could theoretically mount a leadership bid, but she has not declared an intention to run. Instead, she has said she will campaign for Burnham in the upcoming by-election. Both Rayner and Burnham belong to the party’s “soft left.” Phillips expressed hope for “wild cards” in a leadership contest but declined to name them, noting that “it’s whether Keir Starmer would stand in the contest, I suppose, is the wild card bit of it.” If Starmer does not step down, he would automatically appear on the ballot.
Comments on Leadership and Politics
Appearing alongside Green Party MP Ellie Chowns and Times journalist Patrick Maguire, Phillips described Labour’s current position as “kind of bants,” later calling it “terrible” and “heart-wrenching.” She confirmed she would campaign for Burnham in Makerfield and dismissed the awkwardness of Starmer campaigning for his potential successor, stating, “all that should matter to anyone in politics is that you care about the country and the right outcome.”
On the lack of female Labour leaders, Phillips remarked: “I have to say, the idea that a woman leads and it makes it better for women is not one that I’ve recognised in this country. My mortgage went up by a thousand pounds a month, cheers Liz [Truss]. I shouted at her, every time I saw her, the amount that she now owed me. She has not paid me back.”
Phillips also noted that Starmer being seen as a “good guy” had become “throwaway” but “shouldn’t be,” because “we didn’t have that for a long time. We didn’t have decency.” She criticized the “anti-politics” of the Greens and Reform UK, saying it “sounds the same to me,” and added that while she might agree with the Greens ideologically, it is “very, very easy to just slag off the system and the people who are part of it without actually committing to the real solutions.”
