How can Keir Starmer support women and girls if he can’t protect them from the men in power he knows and hires?

Those who have looked into the details of the Epstein files probably wish they hadn’t. How could this happen? Why? But we know how, and we know why. Because beneath a veneer of progress and egalitarianism, misogyny and the abuse of power by men continue as they always have.

On Monday, after “heads rolled” to suggest accountability, Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated his commitment to protecting women and girls, citing his record at the Crown Prosecution Service and apologising for having believed Lord Mandelson’s lies. But people had been sounding the alarm about Mandelson’s association with paedophilic sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein for years. Beyond the news articles, other voices had urged caution – including Harriet Harman. Why wasn’t she listened to? Mandelson reportedly did not even appear on former Chief of Staff Sue Gray’s initial list of candidates for the US Ambassadorship, yet he still replaced Dame Karen Pierce in this deeply questionable appointment. It reeks of “jobs for the boys” -that age-old club where wrongdoing is never career-ending.

This Government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. It is almost laughable that a Government claiming to prioritise victims of male violence would appoint someone with known links to a sex trafficker, ignoring women’s voices entirely. Except it isn’t laughable. Epstein’s decades-long enablement shows how powerful men become untouchable and embedded within democratic systems. Political commentators have pontificated on whether the appointment was politically risky, but not whether it was moral. That it came from a leader who campaigned on integrity and “fighting for” women and girls makes it particularly galling.

Research suggests that greater representation of women in elected office reduces corruption and increases focus on women’s safety. It’s not rocket science. If we want a world where women and girls are not treated as disposable, they must be fairly represented at the highest levels, not only as MPs (the UK ranks 30th globally for women’s parliamentary representation - hardly fitting for the “Mother of Parliaments”), but also as advisors and senior officials. If it sounds as though I distrust male-dominated systems, I give you: history.

I now see men urging women to “take over.” What we actually want is to be listened to and believed, equal partners in policymaking - especially on decisions that directly affect women. Had women been listened to, Starmer might not be in this mess. The Government’s credibility on VAWG has been seriously compromised, undermining the Home Office efforts (led with passion and tenacity by Jess Phillips MP). The message this ‘scandal’ conveys is that women and girls don’t matter, not really, and can be collateral damage when weighed against political gain.

There is, however, an opportunity here for genuine change. Commit to meaningful reform to ensure women’s equal representation across Government. Whether through quotas, all-women shortlists, transparency in candidate selection, or broader modernisation reforms, 50:50 Parliament offers a blueprint. This is not a “women for women” agenda; diverse leadership improves outcomes for everyone. Platitudes will not suffice. As the suffragettes demanded: deeds, not words. We are watching.

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Lyanne Nicholl is CEO at 50:50 Parliament, a non-partisan charity championing equal representation.

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