Tag Archives: lib dem women

Donna Harris

Support WASPI women at Conference

By Donna Harris | Fri 13th March 2026 - 1:40 pm

When Liberal Democrats gather at conference, we often debate policy in terms of budgets, systems and reforms. But sometimes an issue comes before us that cuts far deeper than policy mechanics. The injustice faced by women born in the 1950s, or WASPI women, is one of those.

This is not simply about pensions. It is about fairness, trust in government, and how we treat the generation of women who helped build the Britain we benefit from today.

Millions of women born in the 1950s were affected by rapid increases to the State Pension Age. In some cases, their retirement age rose by as much as six years. The real injustice, however, was not just the change itself, but how it was communicated.

Many women discovered these changes with as little as 18 months’ notice.

Eighteen months is not enough time to rebuild a retirement plan that someone has spent forty years working towards. Retirement planning is something people structure their entire working lives around. To suddenly move the goalposts so dramatically, without proper notice, left millions of women in an impossible position.

In contrast, by contrast, typically received up to six years’ notice for an increase of just one year, exposing the deeply unequal and gendered impact of these changes.

We now know that this was not simply unfortunate or unavoidable. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman investigated and found maladministration by the Department for Work and Pensions in failing to properly notify women of changes to their State Pension age. That is not the language of campaigners or political opponents; it is the official conclusion of the body Parliament established to hold government departments accountable.

Yet despite this finding, justice for these women is still being denied. On 29 January this year, the Labour Government announced that it would not be compensating these women.

This is particularly disappointing given how many now Labour cabinet ministers previously expressed their support for the WASPI women when they sought their votes, only to deny them any compensation at all once in office.

Lib Dem Women, the official body representing women in the Liberal Democrats, has submitted an emergency motion calling on the Government to accept the Ombudsman’s recommendations, to apologise to the women affected and to introduce a fair, transparent and comprehensive compensation scheme. You can read it here in Conference Extra.

This motion is about fairness, accountability and ensuring that women who were failed by the system are not ignored. The generation of women who are most affected are also the generation who started their careers before the Sex Discrimination Act so they could be sacked for getting pregnant or even married, didn’t have much in the way of childcare provision and were on the sharp end of the gender pay gap. To make them wait up to an additional six years for their State Pension is an injustice too far.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , and | 9 Comments
Caron Lindsay

New team at the Campaign for Gender Balance

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 11th March 2026 - 11:47 am

The Campaign for Gender Balance is there to help women develop and stand for public office. They support women through selection processes, provide mentoring, run brilliant training like the Future Women MPs weekends. I have been on the receiving end of their support and they are brilliant.

Their chair and vice chairs are appointed by the Federal Board at the beginning of each three year cycle. Yesterday, they announced that Cllr Julia Cambridge would continue as Chair, joined by Cllr Donna Harris and Cllr Alice Bridges-Westcott as the two Vice Chairs.

Here’s the  Instagram announcement from Lib Dem Women, the official organisation representing women:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Liberal Democrat Women (@libdemwomen)

Donna Harris, who is also Lib Dem Women’s chair, said:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , and | Leave a comment
Caron Lindsay

It’s International Women’s Day!

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 8th March 2026 - 7:48 pm

It’s International Women’s Day today and this year’s theme is Give to Gain. From the IWD website:

Give To Gain emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. Giving is not a subtraction, it’s intentional multiplication. When women thrive, we all rise.

Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, contributing to women’s advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.

What will you Give to Gain gender equality?

What does Give to Gain mean to you?

Lib Dem Women, the official organisation representing women in the Liberal Democrats, held an International Women’s Day event at the National Liberal Club in London last week:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Liberal Democrat Women (@libdemwomen)

Ed Davey has put out a statement supporting IWD:

International Women’s Day is a chance to recognise the extraordinary contribution women make every day. While there has been progress towards equality, there is still a long way to go, and the Liberal Democrats will keep pushing for a fairer future.

Liz Jarvis paid tribute to women in our armed services:

Women make a significant contribution to our Armed Forces, protecting our way of life. The 2021 Census told us that 452 women living in Eastleigh were veterans.   For International Women’s Day, I join the

@PoppyLegion

in paying tribute to their service. #IWD2026

The party itself said:

Today is International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate women’s stories and achievements.

We honour their impact and recognise the work still needed to achieve equality.

Together, may we uplift, empower, and create a world where every woman thrives.

This party is made up of brilliant women who run campaigns, who stand for Council or Parlimaent, who hold elected office and make a real difference to the lives of other women in this country.  Many of the men in this party who hold elected office are supported by women as they do so.  There is a lot of work done by women that we don’t often recognise or value.

The House of Commons is debating International Women’s Day this coming Thursday and we’ll bring you the Lib Dem contributions.

The Lords’ debate happened on Friday and our Lorely Burt took part, saying that it was her last IWD speech before her retirement. We will miss her. She said:

I was just having a little nap there—as if I could be, after all the absolutely brilliant speeches we have had today; they have been quite remarkable. I start by welcoming the newcomers to this House; it was absolutely fascinating learning about the diversity of their experience, and I am so looking forward to hearing from them when they get going. I am absolutely delighted that we have so many very clever women on the Benches now—not that there were none before, but you know what I mean.

It is just impossible to cover all the issues that we have talked about today. I am not going to have to do this again, which I am thoroughly thankful for, because this is my 11th and last speech that I shall be making in this House to celebrate International Women’s Day. I shall be retiring very soon.

I use the word “celebrate” advisedly, because over the years some issues change, but the basic premise that most women are more vulnerable and have fewer opportunities than men persists—and I am talking only about this country, where we, in the main, have far better treatment and more equal rights compared to men than in many others. We have been listening to harrowing descriptions of some actions by men in power. We do not need to look very far to see the names of those men who are making the lives of women, and men as well, all over the world, just that little bit impoverished. The sooner they go, the better, as far as I am concerned—but I should not really be saying things that are disrespectful to people with whom we are supposedly working for a better world. I look forward to the “better world” bit.

I was just thinking about the world itself and where you would go, if you were looking for explanations or ideas as to how we improve things for women. You probably have to go to the Scandinavian countries to see examples of true equality. I heard a lovely story of a young boy who was talking to his mum, and he was incredulous to discover that his country, Iceland, could have a male Prime Minister. So that is very sweet—but it illustrates the fact that we have a long, long way to go.

I do not want to patronise the House by going into the difference between what is a man and what is a woman. The noble Baroness, Lady Jenkin, was talking about the pornification of society and how it puts girls off growing up to be women. On reflection, I do not think I would want to adopt male attributes; I just want more equal rights. This is not so much the case today, but when I was little, I would have loved to have been a boy, but I have discovered that there are advantages to being a woman and being in that particular club. I kind of get why women would want to change to men, but why, oh why, would a male want to become female and accept fewer rights, unless of course they felt genuinely disembodied—that is, in the wrong body? My attitude to people who want to change sex has always been: “Come on in. Be what you want to be. We’ve got one life, so why live it in the wrong body?”

Ever since I took on this equalities role, I have been trying to figure out why some women do not want people of other sexes to join their club, as it were, but want the exclusiveness of the sex that they were born into. In my personal view, it would be better to welcome them to the ongoing fight because, as we have learned today, there is so much more that we need to fight for—there certainly is plenty. I have never understood why, and I probably never will. As a woman, I have grown to love the sisterhood that we all share. Isn’t it lovely that we can have a day when we celebrate our individuality as the sex that we are?

Anyway, let us leave aside what is happening to women who want to change. I also do not want to dwell on what is happening to women in other countries that repress women. International politics and treatment is too much to cover, and I want my outgoing speech as equalities spokesperson to be positive, just for once. I would love to take a moment to look at the other end of the telescope, as it were, and count a few of the blessings that we enjoy as women. In the UK, men and women fight together to improve the lot of women. We get a lot of support from men, and I am delighted to see the number of men who not only have attended but have taken part today. Of course there is misogyny, harassment and so on, but many improvements are in the process of being made.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , and | 3 Comments
The Voice

Internal Elections update – Federal Appeals Panel, statements from official party organisations and presidential candidates

By The Voice | Mon 10th November 2025 - 7:20 pm

This afternoon, the party’s highest dispute resolution panel met to discuss the ruling issued by the Returning Officer on 27th October, prior to the ballots opening in the federal party elections.

Lucas North had appealed to the Federal Appeals Panel and after the hearing this joint statement was issued:

We were pleased to attend the FAP hearing today on the rules around the internal elections.

The FAP made clear that the rules as written in the constitution need to be reviewed by members as they can no longer be implemented as originally intended following the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland and therefore there is a lack of clarity.

The FAP has ruled that parts of quotas should be disapplied on a case by case basis, as the election count proceeds, in order to avoid discrimination. This requires a different approach to that originally set out by the RO; it means that quotas will apply as written in the constitution until they lead to a breach of the Equality Act 2010 in any individual circumstance.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , , , and | 7 Comments
Caron Lindsay

IDAHOBIT: How Lib Dem Councillors are fighting for LGBT rights

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 17th May 2025 - 3:13 pm

The recent Supreme Court judgement on the definition of a women by “biological sex”, a concept described by BMA resident doctors as “scientifically illiterate” has caused real anxiety amongst trans people whilst not making women any safer. In fact, with the current media focus on toilets and changing rooms, it’s likely to lead to all women being less safe and subject to challenge if they don’t conform to gender stereotypes.

It’s a lose-lose if ever there was one. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued interim guidance regarding the use of single sex facilities which is about as extreme as they could manage. It’s interesting to note that one of the judges who wrote the Supreme Court judgement said that these issues were beyond its scope, yet the EHRC has taken the cruellest approach that it could.

However, the Guardian reported this week that staff at the EHRC have expressed concern about the guidance and the fact that two weeks consultation was given. This is likely to be extended to six weeks.

One EHRC source said there had been significant disquiet among staff about the interim guidance and the way it was drawn up before being published on 25 April.

They said: “Most people, including some fairly senior ones, had no idea the interim guidance was coming until it was published late on the Friday evening.

“They woke up to texts from family members and friends saying: ‘What’s going on?’ Staff working on sex and gender issues hadn’t been told, and nor had the duty press staff who were meant to explain it to the media. It was completely shambolic.

“This is, understandably, a fairly inclusive workplace and quite a few staff have trans friends or even partners. They suddenly had to try and explain this guidance which made no sense.

All of this will affect Councils as they will have to look at they provide services. Lib Dem Councillors across the country will soon be able to access suggestions for their own trans-inclusive motions to submit  for debate in their areas. Lib Dem Women has been working with LGBT+ Lib Dems and ALDC to put together a draft for Councillors to use. it will be circulated to their members very soon.

In Edinburgh, Lib Dem Councillor Euan Davidson was instrumental in ensuring that the Council passed a motion recognising that trans people were anxious and re-affirming its position that LGBT people should feel welcome in the city.

Here is his speech in full, which you can watch here.

I want to start by saying that whilst we accept the Supreme Courts ruling let us be clear: trans people have been quietly and respectfully using the facilities that match their gender for over two decades. Without incident. Without uproar. Without chaos. What has changed is not their conduct—but the temperature of the national debate and the fear being sown in its wake by politicians pitting two vulnerable groups again one another.

And that fear is real. I have heard from LGBTQ+ constituents who are frightened to go about their daily lives. Who now feel they must look over their shoulders. Who feel less safe, due to the confusion and chaos left in the wake of the court’s rulng.

Let’s also be clear on this: trans rights are human rights. The Equality Act still protects people from discrimination on the basis of gender reassignment. The Supreme Court ruling affirms this. But in the absence of leadership from the UK Government—indeed in the presence of active confusion and hostility—too many public bodies are retreating. They are excluding. And they are, in some cases, going further than the law ever intended.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , , and | 2 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Lib Dems mark IDAHOBIT 2025 – we support you, we stand with you

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 17th May 2025 - 10:34 am

The sun is shining, it’s Brussels Pride (where Lib Dem Women chair Donna Harris is today),  Doctor Who Eurovision (the Interstellar Song Contest featuring Rylan) and Actual Eurovision from Basel and it’s IDAHOBIT, the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Could a day be any more fabulous?

The LGBT community needs a moment of respite. Life for them, particularly our trans colleagues, is fairly unremittingly awful at the moment. I don’t know a trans person who isn’t scared about doing something as fundamental as going to the loo when they are out.  The UK is sliding down the international rankings as a good place for LGBT+ people to live at an alarming rate.

It’s not long after 10 as I write this, and already there have been a fair few good things from Liberal Democrats. Way too much to fit into one post, so there will be a few throughout the day.

First up, is Ed Davey’s video message which sends an unequivocal message to the LGBT+ community: the Liberal Democrats will never stop fighting to build a country where you are truly free to be who you are.

LGBT+ Lib Dems said:

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , , , , , and | 2 Comments
Caron Lindsay

LibLink: Donna Harris on improving equality in maternal and neonatal outcomes

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 2nd October 2024 - 8:36 pm

Layla Moran, Hina Bokhari with LDW members after maternal inequality debate

One of the most moving and powerful debates at our recent Brighton Conference was on a motion from the official Lib Dem Women organisation on improving the inherent inequality in neonatal and maternity care.

I wrote about the debate at the time:

Lib Dem Women had put forward a motion on tackling inequality in pregnancy and neonatal care. Some of the stories of maternal and pregnancy loss were shocking,  and the higher rates among black and Asian communities shameful.  Laura Gordon told a terrible story about the death of a young refugee who didn’t get the care she needed and died. Maybe if she had had an interpreter, her life might have been saved. There’s no sign of Labour improving things because of the lack of money. As Tam Langley said “We have to invest in babies who can’t wait for the economy to recover.”

Donna Harris has written an article for Comment Central about the motion and why it was needed.

espite being the second-largest economy in Europe, the UK has a higher infant mortality rate than 26 of its European neighbours, earning a troubling reputation as the infant mortality capital of Europe. How is this possible? These deaths are preventable. These tragedies are avoidable. Yet, nearly half of our maternity services are rated as “inadequate” or “requiring improvement” by the Care Quality Commission

The motion called for those who had suffered pregnancy loss to be offered help and support by the NHS after one miscarriage, not three. Donna explains why:

Women who suffer miscarriages often face not only the grief of losing their babies but also often endure traumatic medical interventions. Their pain and trauma are often dismissed, swept under the carpet as if it never happened. In the National Health Service, a woman must endure three miscarriages before being referred to a consultant. It is little surprise that many women who experience pregnancy loss suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder. This policy must change now!

The figures on infant mortality for black and asian mothers and babies babies compared to white mothers and babies are shocking:

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Also tagged , and | 1 Comment
The Voice

Lib Dems mark International Women’s Day

By The Voice | Tue 8th March 2022 - 1:21 pm

Today is International Women’s Day and the event has been marked by senior party figures.

Christine Jardine reminds us of the especially poignant reason we celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March:

Welsh Lib Dem Leader Jane Dodds called for changes to make it more appealing for women to stand for election at all levels, but particularly local Government:

We urgently need our councils and politics to be more representative of communities they serve. If local governments are so unrepresentative of the population they serve, they cannot possibly hope to deliver for that community effectively.

“So this May I want to see more women from different backgrounds, different classes and different ethnicities standing for election. All political parties have a duty to encourage this. And if you are someone in a position of power of influence then make sure you ask them to stand.

“It may seem obvious, but my own political career wouldn’t have started had someone not asked me to stand for council elections. At the time, I had the same view of local Government that many women do, a club for white men over a certain age. I hadn’t thought of entering politics before because I hadn’t believed my voice would be listened to.

“However, we also need structural issues to be resolved. Introducing more flexible schedules for council meetings should be the top priority. Council meetings are often too long and involve unworkable and unsociable hours for those with family, caring and work commitments.

“Society works better when those making decisions are representative of the communities they serve and this International Women’s Day we must remind ourselves of what needs to be done to reach that.”

Lib Dem Women are using the day to highlight women candidates for May’s elections on their Twitter feed,kicking off with one of our most senior and experienced council leaders

ALDC is doing similar:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , and | Leave a comment
Flo Clucas

Shaping the future: Making a difference

By Flo Clucas | Fri 8th February 2019 - 11:55 am

Many of us came into politics to change the way things were and are.

For me, like many others, the woman who encouraged me into politics, was Shirley Williams. She was an inspirational figure, able to reach out to those, like me, who were new to the idea of activism and afraid that we wouldn’t fit in.

Shirley was of course famous. But my political apprenticeship didn’t stop with her. Other women, such as Lesley Abdela who founded the 300 Group, taught me a huge amount.

Learning from those who had experienced the ups and downs of politics, fought discrimination and went on to make a difference, was amazing. They brought us in, inspired us, taught us and gave us the chance to speak and express our opinions. They are remarkable, inspirational women.

But, progress, encouragement and opportunity has carried on, not stopped with them. The future builds on the past, but doesn’t rest there!

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Liberal Democrat Women and four constituency parties: Richmond, Sutton, Kingston and Merton, are holding a special conference:

Shaping the Future; Making a Difference

This will be a unique chance to hear from some truly inspirational women from within the party and beyond.

But it will be more. In the afternoon there will be a series of practical workshops focusing on women in community activism, politics, public life, business, tech, creative industries and also explore strategies for encouraging women to participate.

The event is being jointly sponsored by Lib Dem Women and the local parties in the London Boroughs of Richmond, Kingston, Sutton and Merton.

Among our keynote speakers will be:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | Leave a comment
Flo Clucas

Millicent Fawcett, a woman who changed the lives of many. You can, too

By Flo Clucas | Fri 6th April 2018 - 10:25 am

Very shortly, towards the end of April, a statue to Millicent Fawcett will be unveiled in Westminster. She was a tireless campaigner for women’s suffrage and equal treatment.

Women still lag behind men both in selection processes and in electoral opportunity. Too few women are selected; too few women are elected. Fawcett would understand how far we still have to go and how much is still to be done.

Local elections can be a good place to make change happen. The opportunity is there for us and in Cheltenham, for example, Liberal Democrats are taking the need for more women candidates, and for more women candidates to be elected, very seriously.

District elections are being held for some 20 wards and things are a little different this year. Almost 50% of Cheltenham’s candidates are women. Six have never been elected before, though that will change as it is anticipated many of those selected, will be elected.

It is great to see young, enthusiastic candidates – both men and women – working together and observe the growing confidence that brings. It is inspiring to see.

Liberal Democrat Women wants to see many more women from across the country elected this year and is organising Action Days to help make that happen. They are an opportunity not just to get women elected, but to learn how our campaign teams work and pick up skills from them. Action Days are a two-way process.

Sutton 14th April; Cheltenham 21st April;  Chiswick 28th April; London, date to be confirmed, are the first to be set up. If you want to help please contact:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged | Leave a comment
Advert

Recent Comments

  • expats
    Burnham hasn't yet been confirmed as PM but already the right wing media, and some on here, have decided that he's not up to the job... If memory serves, withi...
  • Roland
    >". If Chloe is referring to VAT on public school education then I disagree. Those who can afford £ 65,000 p.a. in fees at Eton can well afford to pay the V...
  • David Raw
    Poll rating amongst teachers ? But, they happily gobbled up the 10% pay rise Ms Phillipson arranged for them though, Chloe. As to being a nasty piece of work, ...
  • Chloe
    Her poll rating amongst teachers is awful, & to read the teachers blogs about the reforms she put in place is an eye-opener. Above all else, those calling ...
  • Tom Bailey
    In the 1970’s an American man called Walter Carlos was a serious well established musician, professional in the world of electronic music. At some point he w...