We were appalled, though sadly not surprised, to hear Alex Sobel MP make such disparaging remarks in a public meeting about fellow Labour MP Jonathan Hinder and about the thousands of Labour members and MPs, the majority of them women, who have signed our Labour Women’s Declaration. LWD is always grateful for the public support shown to us by courageous and principled MPs such as Jonathan. We are glad of course that Sobel has now apologised, and said that “it is important that we always engage in debate in a collegiate and constructive way”. We call on him to also apologise to us and invite him to finally agree to have that comradely dialogue with us and his fellow Labour MPs.
Having watched the entire video, we see that whilst sharing a platform with Greens and a Lib Dem, Alex Sobel clearly stated that he doesn’t agree with talking to ‘both sides’. This attitude goes some way to explaining his ignorance regarding Labour Women’s Declaration and the issues we are raising. We may not have the resources of the well-funded trans lobby, but his dismissal of us at the meeting as a marginalised group with no support in the constituencies is insulting and inaccurate. Alex also makes some lazy assumptions about our politics. He should know that our movement was started over 7 years ago by women on the left of the party, and that we now have supporters from across all factions, wings and groupings within the Labour movement.
Alex’s words, spoken at a public meeting, were demeaning, and he should reflect on his contribution to the atmosphere of bullying and harassment that is routinely directed at Labour members, councillors, trade unionists, and parliamentarians who speak in favour of women’s sex‑based rights and Labour’s Equality Act.
We are still waiting patiently for our party leader to say more in support of women’s right to privacy, dignity and safety – all polling shows that the public and the majority of Labour voters endorse our stance, and we are certain the Prime Minister understands how important this issue is to core Labour voters.
The full video containing Alex’s remarks at the public meeting is available here.
