Harriet Harman Urges Male Labour MPs to Support Female Leader Successor, Highlights Party’s Gender Leadership Gap

Labour veteran Harriet Harman expressed to Sky News' Electoral Dysfunction podcast her disappointment that the party has yet to see a female leader, describing the situation as "embarrassing."

Political correspondent @fayebrownSky

Friday, August 9, 2024, 8:

Harriet Harman has stated that male MPs from the Labour Party should support a female candidate to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as party leader.

The seasoned lawmaker, who retired from politics at the last general election following four decades of service, expressed that it is "disgraceful and somewhat humiliating" that the Labour Party has yet to see a woman lead the organization.

In a conversation on Sky News' Electoral Dysfunction podcast, she expressed that men who aspire to be future leaders should aim to be deputies and back a woman for the primary leadership position.

She expressed disappointment and embarrassment over her party's claim to champion women's equality, despite never having a female leader, especially in contrast to the Conservatives, who have had three female leaders.

Ms. Harman suggested that female members of the Labour Party feel more uneasy within their own ranks because they believe the power dynamics are flawed and patriarchal.

"She remarked that you tend to be somewhat of an annoyance and a disruptive presence to your peers."

Thus, rallying behind a woman who critiques the entire system poses a greater challenge for them.

"In my view, previously, Conservative women aimed to outperform men at their own game."

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She continued, stating that men have a responsibility to ensure that the next person to follow Sir Keir should be a woman.

Everyone seems eager to take the lead. Right now, they should focus on aiming for the deputy role and backing a female leader.

"It requires a formidable individual to lead, yet an even more resilient one to back a woman in a leadership role."

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The matter of who will follow Sir Keir as leader is expected to remain unresolved for a while, considering he has only been in office for a month.

The newly appointed prime minister aims to serve two terms, envisioning this period as a "decade of national renewal."

His administration boasts a record number of women in leadership roles and features the UK's inaugural female Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves.

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However, the Labour Party stands out as the sole significant political group in the UK to have never appointed a female leader, in contrast to the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, and the Scottish National Party, each of which has had at least one woman at the helm

Ms. Harman held the record as the longest-serving woman MP before she stepped down at the 2024 election, concluding a 42-year tenure in the House of Commons where she was a prominent champion of women's rights.

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