We can't rely on Andy Burnham to fix the 'women problem' in Parliament

When leadership changes, progress can stall, but it is also an opportunity for radical change.

The Women’s Parliamentary Labour Party have put a stake in the ground to press Andy Burnham for a strong commitment to gender equality by asking him to ensure that women hold 50% of the roles in his Government. This rallying cry is incredibly important as things stand. We are set to see the biggest ever drop in 100 years of women's representation in parliament at the next election.

That we’re even having to push for gender equality in the 21st century can feel completely bonkers, but it is now just two years until the Centenary of Equal Franchise (when all women won the right to vote and to stand for election) and we have never yet had parity in the UK Parliament. And hard-won gains look set to be lost, with women MPs potentially dropping from 41% to a mere 26% at the next election.

When women make up over half of the UK population, this just cannot stand. Too many women have been locked out of decision-making rooms for far too long.

We saw the impact of a lack of women in the room on a devastating scale during COVID, when people could socialise in pubs before women could have their partners at their side in childbirth. We have seen the abhorrent outcomes of the recent Amos report detailing the decades of failures women and children have faced because of medical misogyny and a distinct lack of investment in maternity services in the UK.

We’ve had centuries of old boys' clubs; if Andy Burnham is as serious about doing things differently as he says he is, now is the time to show it. But Labour can’t do this alone. All of the Parties need to look at themselves and ask whether they are truly representative of the Country. And, if not, why not? Women have lived experiences that no man can replicate through conversation and data points, and this has been shown time and time again in the Chamber.

Having more women involved in policy-making ensures broader perspectives are covered. Theresa May moved the dial on domestic abuse, Wera Hobhouse helped make upskirting a specific criminal offence, Sarah Owen has been a key voice in the campaign for statutory miscarriage bereavement leave, Carolyn Harris and Mims Davies have driven huge change in policy regarding menopause. These issues needed a woman’s voice. And it is recognised that more women in leadership results in a government that is more responsive to the electorate’s needs and builds healthier, more equal nations.

Kemi Badenoch has challenged that women need to stop moaning and throw their hats into the ring. I’m sure that they are. It was a woman, Catherine West, who first challenged Keir Starmer after the local elections, after all. Badenoch states that it should be a meritocracy, but when has that ever been the case - with ‘jobs for the boys’ as pervasive now as it has ever been? Quotas might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they do actually work to ensure that those who govern us are broadly representative of the population they serve - and not just a chumocracy plucked from Eton’s old boys' clubs or even the golf club.

It is baffling that, in 2026, we are still debating whether women should have equal representation in our elected bodies. But here we are.

50:50 Parliament has a pipeline of diverse, talented women ready to stand. We stand with the Labour women who are pushing for gender parity. Let’s be ambitious and celebrate the Centenary with equal representation across the board, and let's make a government for the future, not the past.

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Lyanne Nicholl is CEO of 50:50 Parliament.

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