6 February 2018

* Green Party’s Amelia Womack leads letter signed by Helen Pankhurst, Caroline Lucas, Harriet Harman, Jo Swinson, Sam Smethers and more

* Womack said: “Whether it’s being harassed on the tube or groped in a bar, misogyny is everywhere. It’s time these acts were recorded for what they really are – hate crime.”

Politicians from across the political divide have come together to call on the Home Secretary to empower women to take action against abuse by making misogyny a hate crime.

Green, Labour and Lib Dem politicians, along with leading women’s right campaigners, from the Centenary Action Group have written an open letter to Amber Rudd [1] on the 100th anniversary of women securing the vote.

The letter calls for the law to treat misogyny in the same way as prejudice towards disability, race, religion, trans identity or sexual orientation, and comes just days after Amber Rudd ruled out the move during an interview on The Andrew Marr Show [2].

The letter has been led by Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green Party, who launched a campaign to make misogyny a hate crime in October last year [3] after speaking out about her own experiences of being in an abusive relationship.

The campaign has gathered support since, and on International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women and Girls (November 25) last year, Womack delivered a petition signed by 5,000 members and supporters to the Home Secretary.

A report [4] by the Fawcett Society in January this year made a formal recommendation for misogyny to be made a hate crime.

The open letter cites the success of a scheme by Nottingham Police to record misogyny as a hate crime [5], where:

* 94% of respondents felt reassured after dealing with the police

* 94% of respondents felt the police took the matter seriously

* 82% of respondents were satisfied by actions taken by the police

Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green Party, said:

“Every day women are victims of crime because they are women. Whether it’s being harassed on the tube or groped in a bar, misogyny is everywhere. It’s time these acts were recorded for what they really are – hate crime.

“The Home Secretary has the chance to make it clear misogyny will not be tolerated, and empower women to speak out about abuse. In Nottingham where police have already started recording misogyny as a hate crime women already feel more confident their reports have been taken seriously. I urge Amber Rudd to do the right thing and make misogyny a hate crime immediately.”

Helen Pankhurst, advisor with CARE International and great-granddaughter to Emmeline Pankhurst, said:

“Making misogyny a hate crime gives women the language they need to report crime in a way which will be taken seriously. The success of the scheme in Nottingham has shown the difference this simple step can make to both the reporting and investigating of sexual harassment and abuse.”

Notes:

1. Dear Amber Rudd MP 

On behalf of women across the country, we write in the hope that you will empower all of us to take action against abuse. 

Over the last several months, we’ve seen the damage of misogyny dragged out into the open like never before. More and more women are coming forward to share their experiences, name their abusers, and seek justice.  

We believe it’s time to empower women by making misogyny a hate crime. 

As you will know, crimes motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone’s disability, race, religion, trans identity or sexual orientation are treated as hate crimes. This has empowered thousands of people to report incidents to the police, often leading to prosecutions. This is something to be proud of. Now it is time to go further. 

From unwanted sexual advances to verbal and physical assault, acts of misogyny are part of everyday life for women in the UK. A poll by End Violence Against Women found that 85% of women between 18 – 24 had experienced unwanted sexual attention, while campaign group Hollaback! found that 90% of women experienced street harassment by the age of 17. This demands urgent action.  

Making misogyny a hate crime would send two clear messages to the public. It would give women the confidence to speak out against aggressors and abusers, and it would make clear to men that misogynistic behaviour will no longer be tolerated.

You may know about the case study in Nottinghamshire, in which the local police authority allowed women to report such incidents as hate crimes with the support of Nottingham Women’s Centre. In the first two months, an incident was reported to police every three days. Of women surveyed by Nottingham Police:

• 94% of respondents felt reassured after dealing with the police
• 94% of respondents felt the police took the matter seriously
• 82% of respondents were satisfied by actions taken by the police

Recognising the clear impact it makes on women’s lives, more and more Police Authorities are making misogyny a hate crime. This is welcome news, but it’s essential that we apply this consistently across the whole country, with comprehensive training for the police and a full communications strategy for the public. 

Today, we are asking you to consider making misogyny a hate crime in the UK. Will you meet with us to discuss this important issue? We truly believe it will make our country a safer and fairer place for women.

We look forward to hearing from you,

Yours sincerely,

Amelia Womack, Green Party deputy leader

Helen Pankhurst, advisor, CARE International 

Sophie Walker, Women’s Equality Party leader

Frances Scott, 50:50 Parliament  

Sam Smethers, chief executive, Fawcett Society 

Sarah Childs, professor of Politics and Gender, Birkbeck University of London

Caroline Lucas MP, Green Party co-leader and MP for Brighton Pavilion 

Jo Swinson MP, Liberal Democrats deputy leader and MP for East Dunbartonshire

Harriet Harman MP, Labour MP for Camberwell and Peckham

Jess Phillips MP, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley

2. At 57 mins: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09rf5rr/the-andrew-marr-show-04022018

3. https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2017/10/10/greens-call-for-violence-against-women-motivated-by-their-gender-to-be-a-hate-crime/

4. https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/blog/start-calling-out-misogyny-hate-crim

5. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-36775398

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31 January 2018

The Green Party has called on the Government to scrap nuclear weapons for good after Government figures revealed the costs rose by £575.5 million in 12 months.

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said the Government’s failure to deliver the weapons on time or in budget “reveals the lie behind its claims to be economically competent”.

Bartley made the call in response to a National Audit Office report which found the Ministry of Defence’s Equipment Plan for 2017-2017 to have a spending shortfall of between £4bn and £20bn [1].

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“The spiralling cost of nuclear should be the final nail in the Trident coffin. It is unacceptable that the Government is set to spend an estimated £575.5 million more on nuclear weapons it will never use, while inflicting cuts on an NHS and public services already in crisis. The fact the Government cannot deliver these weapons on time or in budget reveals the lie behind its claims to be economically competent. It’s time Trident was scrapped for good.”

ENDS.

For more information contact: press@greenparty.org.uk / 0203 691 9401

Notes:

1.       The National Audit Office states that the MoD’s Equipment Plan 2017-2027 is not affordable: “At present the affordability gap ranges from a minimum of £4.9bn to £20.8bn if financial risks materialise and ambitious savings are not achieved”: https://www.nao.org.uk/report/ministry-of-defence-the-equipment-plan-2017-to-2027/

Point 2.13 on page 19 states the forecast 10-year costs of the Dreadnought project increased again, by £575.5 million: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-Equipment-Plan-2017-to-2027.pdf

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30 January 2018

The Green Party has called on the Government to take bold action on air pollution after news Brixton Road in London reached the limit for the whole of 2018 [1].

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“The fact we’re not even out of January and London’s filthy air has already hit the yearly pollution limit is damning. The Government’s failure to tackle this public health emergency is just one of the cracks in its new green veneer.

“We all have the right to trust the air we breathe yet air pollution is cutting lives short and triggering asthma in our children.

“If the Government is serious about tackling this crisis it must bring forward the ban on petrol and diesel cars, introduce a proper scrappage scheme, invest in public transport and expand clean air zones across the country.”

ENDS.

For more information contact: press@greenparty.org.uk / 0203 691 9401

Notes:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/30/london-reaches-legal-air-pollution-limit-just-one-month-into-the-new-year

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29 January 2018

Jonathan Bartley and Caroline Lucas, co-leaders of the Green Party, said:

“Turkey’s ongoing military attacks on Afrin are utterly wrong, and the killing of civilians is morally indefensible.  The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, must urgent make a statement on behalf of the government making clear that they condemn the Turkish Government’s actions. 
 
“The people of this region have been targeted by all sides. The atrocities they have suffered at the hands of Daesh are now  exacerbated by the military onslaught of the Turkish Government. The British Government should be using all diplomatic means to bring an end to Turkish military incursions – and should start be using urging the UN and others to condemn Turkey’s actions.”

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23 January 2018

Caroline Lucas, the co-leader of the Green Party, has slammed ‘brass neck Boris’ for his stance on the NHS. Lucas called Johnson’s intervention ‘self-aggrandising of the worst kind’ and pointed to his role in damaging the NHS [1].

Caroline Lucas said:

“It seems that brass neck Boris has struck again. Not only does this brexiteer-in-chief keep repeating lies about mythical savings from leaving the EU, but now he’s trying to position himself as a saviour of the NHS after his party’s extreme brexit stance has caused EU nurses to leave the UK in droves.

“The crisis in the NHS is the fault of the Conservative Party. For Boris to suddenly chime in with platitudes for the health service he’s playing a part in dismantling is self-aggrandising of the worst kind.” 

ENDS

Contact: Matthew Butcher on 07885 459 904 or clucasmedia@parliament.uk

[1] For example the number of nurses and midwives coming to work in Britain from Europe has plunged by 89% since the UK voted to leave the EU.

The sharp fall coincided with a sudden increase in qualified European medics leaving the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) register: from 2,435 in 2015-16 to 4,067 in the last year – a rise of 67%.

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