‘Nigel Farage has an issue with girls and I gained’t be afraid to name it out’

‘Politicians like Nigel Farage want to scrap equality laws, doing away with protections for women, ethnic minorities, and disabled people’, the Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson writes

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I’m delighted to be the new Minister for Women and Equalities in Andy Burnham’s government. It’s the first time this has been a standalone job and it speaks volumes about the importance of women’s rights and equalities to this Labour government.

We’re at a perilous moment, with right-wing politicians wanting to roll back women’s hard-won rights, and an online discourse that’s increasingly down the gutter, pushing for a future that’s not what Britain is about.

I don’t accept this and will do everything I can in my new job to take this country forwards not backwards. Whether it’s cutting child poverty, tackling violence against women and girls, or fighting for equal pay, I’ll give it my all.

This week, I visited a rape crisis centre. The staff there do incredible work helping women to find safety, security, and space to heal from profound trauma.

Labour committed in our manifesto to halve violence against women and girls, and this is a pledge I’ll be putting at the heart of what I do.

It’s deeply personal to me – before entering politics, I managed a refuge for women and children fleeing abuse.

I saw firsthand that ‘rights’ aren’t abstract. They’re a real and silent guardian in people’s day-to-day life. It’s the ability of a woman to walk home safely at night, of a disabled person to use public transport, or of workers to be paid equally for equal work, something our trade unions fought hard to secure.

As the parliamentary wing of the labour movement, it has been the duty of the Labour Party to secure these advances – and we have. The Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1970, the Equality Act 2010, the Employment Rights Act 2025.

But not everyone thinks we should keep these laws. Politicians like Nigel Farage want to scrap equality laws, doing away with protections for women, ethnic minorities, and disabled people. Removing bars on discrimination on the grounds of religious belief or sexual orientation.

It’s unsurprising, given Farage’s form on this issue – he’s clearly got a problem with women, and I won’t be afraid to call it out. Whether he’s saying the awful Andrew Tate is an “important voice” for men, or that women shouldn’t get maternity leave.

So when right-wing politicians launch their diatribe against equality laws, remember what they really are – maternity rights, disability rights, the things working class people have fought for to drive progress in our society.

As Minister for Women and Equalities, I won’t let Reform UK turn back the clock. I won’t just defend these rights, I will go further to strengthen them.

‘I want to reinvigorate the party’

I’ve got myself a second job, but not the kind Nigel Farage loves. I’m now Chair of the Labour Party – and will be out speaking to people across the country, and of course Mirror readers, to hear about what you want to see from this government.

I joined Labour as a teenager, having watched the Conservatives wreck the North East. In time, I saw firsthand the difference Labour makes – stronger rights at work, a better NHS, more opportunities for children.

I want to reinvigorate the party. That started with beating Reform and the Greens in Greater Manchester this week.

We face the fight of our lives, but I’ll work with members and unions to build the election-winning machine that sees off Reform’s divisive politics and secures a second Labour term.

‘Andy Burnham can take on status quo’

Andy Burnham is off to a flyer as Prime Minister. He’s shown that he isn’t afraid to take on the status quo and has given us some hope.

Too many people saw the decline of our country as inevitable. They said rough sleeping is a fact of life, public transport can’t be affordable, local pubs have to close, issues like social care are just too tricky.

Labour will show them.

‘Cheaper summer for families’

Now school’s out, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer holidays.

Labour slashed VAT on children’s meals and attractions to give parents breathing space on days out.

When schools open again, uniform costs will be cheaper, more free breakfast clubs will open and half a million more children will have access to free school meals.