Sir Keir Starmer has been elected as Prime Minister of the UK, with the Labour Party winning the general election by a historic landslide.
So far, Labour have won over 400 seats (up 210 from the last election in 2019), with the Conservatives losing over 247 seats (and counting), including shock exits from former PM Liz Truss; former Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt; Jacob Rees Mogg, and former Education Secretary Gillian Keegan.
While the Green Party won all four of their target seats, Nigel Farage's Reform also had a successful night, winning four seats (nine less than predicted by the exit poll) and over 14% share of the overall vote.
Here, GLAMOUR's Purpose Editor, Lucy Morgan, explores what the Labour government means for women in the UK, from whether it will act on GLAMOUR's campaign to stop image-based abuse to the ongoing fight for reproductive healthcare, support for working mothers, and ending violence against women and girls.
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Violence against women and girls (VAWG)
As he hits the campaign trail for the upcoming mayoral elections, Sadiq Khan sits down with GLAMOUR to discuss women's safety, distrust in the police, and why he's still a proud feminist.
Image-based abuse
Image-based abuse – a broad term covering a range of harmful actions involving nude or sexual images – is overwhelmingly committed against women and girls. Yet the laws around it are unfit for purpose, which is why GLAMOUR is calling for a dedicated, comprehensive Image-Based Abuse Law.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer did not respond to GLAMOUR's request for comment about image-based abuse laws, but the Labour manifesto states that the incoming government will “build” on the Online Safety Act and “explore further measures to keep people safe online”. In line with the previous Conservative government, Labour have also pledged to ban the creation of sexually explicit digital forgeries, known as “deepfakes”.
TL;DR: Labour is open to improving image-based abuse laws, but further clarification and commitments are needed as to whether they'll introduce a comprehensive Image-Based Abuse law.
In partnership with the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Not Your Porn, and Professor Clare McGlynn.
Abortion access
Women and pregnant people can still be criminalised for having an abortion in England and Wales. Before the general election was called, MPs were set to vote on several amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill that would have made it significantly easier for people to access abortions, as well as removing the threat of prison time for “illegal” abortions.
There is no specific mention of abortion in the Labour or Reform manifestos (sigh), but re-elected Labour MPs Stella Creasy and Diane Johnson have previously tabled amendments for abortion reform. The Labour Party is generally more supportive of reproductive healthcare – only 4 Labour MPs voted against making the abortion pills-by-post scheme permanent back in 2022. The incoming PM has previously voted in favour of introducing buffer zones around abortion clinics, legalising abortion in Northern Ireland, and, back in 2018, to legalise abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
However, there's no room for complacency: the global anti-choice movement made significant inroads with the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the USA in 2022 and the imprisonment (later overturned) of Carla Foster for a late-term abortion in the UK in 2023.
TL;DR: The Labour Party generally has a good track record of supporting abortion access. Provided the government is rigorously held to account, we could see abortion decriminalised within the next five years.
Maternity care
The NHS is currently engulfed in a maternity care crisis, with the Care Quality Commission recently reporting a decline in positive maternity experiences – not to mention the ongoing scandal of the maternal death rates being higher for Black women compared to white women.
The Labour manifesto pledges to rapidly improve failing hospital trusts, with plans to train “thousands more midwives” and “set an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap”. While this is an encouraging start, it hasn't identified exactly how these improvements will be measured and monitored, which could make it harder to hold the government accountable.
TL;DR: The Labour Party has pledged to improve maternity care but has provided scant information about how this will actually happen.
As the Birth Trauma Inquiry reports a sharp rise in negligent postpartum care, five women share their stories of being left to languish after labour.
Support for working women
Mothers are earning 43% less than fathers in their weekly earnings, according to Pregnant Then Screwed. This issue is compounded by unaffordable childcare, lack of flexible working options, and, yes, the gender pay gap.
The Labour manifesto pledges to tackle the childcare crisis by creating 3,000 new nursery classes in schools in England, introducing free breakfast clubs in all primary schools, and continuing the Conservatives' two-year roll-out of ‘free’ childcare to children from nine months.
Joeli Brierley from Pregnant Then Screwed welcomes the pledge as a “first stage plan”, adding, “There is little point in reducing the cost of childcare for parents if they cannot access a place, and with long waiting lists, and childcare deserts across England, it is imperative we do not continue to paper over the cracks."
The Labour manifesto also pledges to strengthen maternity and menopause rights and protect against workplace discrimination. Labour has pledged to “take action to reduce the gender pay gap,” which is currently closing at a glacial pace anyway. On a more hopeful note, the party has further pledged to introduce a Race Equality Act to “enshrine in law the full right to equal pay for Black, Asian, and other ethnic minority people, strengthen protections against dual discrimination.”
TL;DR: Advocacy groups have welcomed Labour's initial plans to support working women (especially parents), but we need to see decisive action early on in government.
Money and housing
We're in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, interest rates are on the rise, and getting on the property ladder is basically a pipe dream. So, what is the Labour government going to do about it?
The party's manifesto pledges a “new deal for working people,” which involves taxing non-doms (UK residents who live abroad, often for tax advantages), introducing a nationalised clean energy service to lower gas and electricity bills, and creating a ‘National Wealth Fund’ to encourage investment into the UK.
When it comes to housing, Labour has promised to build 1.5 million new homes, abolish ‘no-fault’ evictions, and has hinted at introducing rent controls.
If Labour sticks to these promises, women (especially single women and single parents) may find it easier to rent or buy a property, pay their bills, and start saving for the future – without feeling pressured to wait for a partner to come along. These measures could also, hopefully, empower women in abusive relationships (especially Black and minoritised, disabled and migrant women) to safely escape from their partners.
TL;DR: The UK's economy is fragile after a series of shocks, including Brexit, COVID-19, and Liz Truss's short-lived premiership. If Labour sticks to its promises on money and housing, women (especially single women and mothers) could see their standard of living improve.
People are reporting rent increases of almost £3,400 a year, according to The London Renters Union.
Violence against women and girls (VAWG)
Violence against women and girls is a national emergency, with rape convictions in England and Wales at crushing lows, a funding crisis for specialist domestic abuse support services, and a police force that half the public don't trust to tackle it.
The new PM has pledged to “tackle the scourge of violence against women and girls” by introducing specialist rape units in every police force, reviewing the sentencing guidelines for offenders, setting up specialist courts across England and Wales to fast-track rape cases, and “ensure schools address misogyny and teach young people about healthy relationships and consent.”
Labour's Shabana Mahmood, has also said that the party will “halve violence against women and girls within a decade” as well as providing “free legal advocates for rape victims to ensure that victims’ rights are respected.”
Women's Aid has tentatively welcomed the focus on VAWG throughout the election; however, the organisation cautions that it must “translate into concrete action to ensure we support survivors and prevent abuse.”
TL;DR: We're used to politicians promising to tackle violence against women, but they often fail to put their money where their mouth is. We've seen a renewed focus on VAWG during this election campaign, which hopefully means Labour will take decisive action on the issue. It can't wait.
Healthcare
Most women rely on the NHS for their healthcare, but our health service is stretched – to say the least.
Most maternity care units are not safe enough (according to England's healthcare regulator), conditions that disproportionately impact women (including endometriosis, adenomyosis, and fibromyalgia) are lacking in funding and research, mental health services are on the brink, and fertility treatment is still very much considered a postcode lottery.
To get the NHS “back on its feet”, Labour has promised to cut waiting times, free up an extra 40,000 appointments per week, recruit 8,500 new mental health staff, modernise hospitals, and “reset” the government's relationship with NHS staff to avoid strikes.
Labour has promised to “rapidly improve” failing maternity units in England and Wales, train “thousands more midwives as part of the NHS Workforce Plan”, and “set an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap”.
The manifesto also pledges to implement the recommendations of the Cass Review to “ensure that young people presenting to the NHS with gender dysphoria are receiving appropriate and high-quality care.” Mermaid, a charity that supports young transgender and non-binary people, has cautioned that many of the Cass Review's recommendations have been “wilfully misrepresented” by the media, with a detrimental impact on trans youth and their families.
Crucially, as researchers from Imperial College London point out, the Labour Manifesto makes no mention of including women in clinical research and trials. The research paper also notes that the previous Conservative government's Women's Health Strategy has had a “positive impact” in England, which risks being undone if the new Labour government want to “depart from work done by their predecessors.”
TL;DR: The Labour Party has promised to fix failing maternity care units, address the mental health crisis, and implement the Cass Review. However, to avoid letting women's health drop off the agenda, they must build on the previous government's previous Women's Health strategy – rather than starting from scratch.
The Labour MP is – once again – the victim of racism and misogyny.
LGBTQIA+ rights
The culture wars are upon us, with transgender women bearing the brunt of the backlash. Earlier this week, a transgender woman was violently attacked in Stockton. Three boys – aged 12, 14, and 16 – have been arrested and remain in police custody. There has been an 11% rise in attacks on transgender people last year.
The Labour Party had previously described the discrimination that transgender people face as “really distressing”, promising a “reset moment” that advocates for “dignity and respect for everyone in Britain” (via Pink News). This rhetoric appears to be at odds with recent comments made by the Labour leader, who said that transgender women “don’t have the right” and “shouldn't” enter female-only spaces – even if they have a gender recognition certificate, which legally recognises a person's gender.
Starmer added, "I’ve always said biological women’s spaces need to be protected.”
Wes Streeting, who only just won his seat, has also previously said that he would support proposals to ban transgender women from same-sex wards.
The wider LGBTQIA+ community also needs urgent support; with almost 25,000 LGBT+ people being on the receiving end of hate crimes in 2023, the previous government U-turned on banning conversion therapy, and the grim reality that almost one in five LGBT people have experienced homelessness.
The Labour Manifesto pledges a “trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices”, as well as introducing harsher penalties for hate crimes and “modernising” the gender recognition process.
TL;DR: Given the PM's apparent U-turn on supporting transgender women's right to enter same-sex spaces, many LGBT+ people do not trust him to advocate for the community. It's up to him – and the rest of the Labour Party – to earn back that trust.
Climate change
Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by climate change – and too often shoulder the burden of fighting to save the planet.
The Labour Manifesto is committed to a “clean energy transition”, introducing new legislation to revamp the country's energy and climate policies, including banning fracking, closing loopholes in the windfall tax on oil and gas companies, and creating a new publicly-owned company, Great British Energy, to deliver clean power.
However, the Prime Minister has been heavily criticised, particularly by environmental groups such as Green New Deal Rising, for scaling back on his promise to invest £28bn a year into a ‘green prosperity fund’ to tackle the climate crisis.
Indeed, last year, GLAMOUR spoke to Sophia Coningham, a climate activist who interrupted one of Sir Keir Starmer's pre-election speeches about the Labour Party's approach to climate change. She notes, "[The Labour leader] said clearly that the biggest challenge we face is climate delays. Well, unfortunately, at the moment, he's one of those.”
It's also notable that the PM described the activist group Just Stop Oil – which uses controversial direct-action tactics to protest British fossil fuel production – as “contemptible” following its latest action at Stonehenge.
The Green Party had a historic night, winning all four of their target seats. We can expect – and hope – these MPs to hold the PM accountable for his promises on the climate.
TL;DR: The Labour Party has plenty of specific sustainable policies, but is it listening to female climate activists? If not, we're sure the Greens will be holding them accountable.
From abortion access to climate justice, here's what needs to change.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
