In the 40 year since the Tories selected a woman LAB has had 8 male leaders and looks set to choose a 9th

In the 40 year since the Tories selected a woman LAB has had 8 male leaders and looks set to choose a 9th

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What is it about the red team and women?

It was in February 1975 that Tory MPs (there was no party member involvement in those days) made the momentous decision to choose a woman, Mrs Thatcher, as their leader to succeed Edward Heath.

I was working a fair bit at parliament during that period and right until election day in 1979 there was a consistent view from many within Labour that Callaghan was safe because they believed that when it came to the crunch the British public would not elect a female PM.

Since Maggie’s selection as leader LAB has been led by Wilson, Callaghan, Foot, Kinnock, Smith, Blair, Brown and Miliband and in all that time it has been a totally male preserve with no woman really every getting close. In 2010 there was Diane Abbott who was, in Corbyn style, given an assisted place on the ballot because it was deemed important to have a left winger on the list.

    I think that the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush is onto something in his assertion in the latest PB/Polling Matters podcast that the female contenders for the LAB leadership have struggled because parts of the party are sexist

Remember how back in June there was an effort to find extra MP nominees to get Corbyn in the ballot but no such assistance was forthcoming for Mary Creagh who appeared to many to be a viable candidate.

My guess is that the Tories will have elected at least one more woman leader before the climate is right with Labour. Another 40 years?

Mike Smithson



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