By Boni Sones, Centre for Business Research
Maria Miller, Conservative MP for Basingstoke and Chair of the Equalities Select Committee
Maria Miller is known as a bit of a terrier as Chair of the new Equalities Select Committee. She and her committee members are about to look into how Brexit and leaving the EU will affect our equalities legislation for women. The Committee has already caused a stir by examining issues such as sex education in schools, transgender equality, maternity rights at work, and the gender pay gap. Other reports are in the pipeline, including looking at the impact of boundary changes on women’s representation in parliament. Miller doesn’t mind being a thorn in her own government’s side, in fact she relishes her job and says she should be holding ministers to account.
Fabian women launch a five point charter for Brexit
Fabian women are asking the government to ensure it protects women’s rights in its forthcoming negotiations over Brexit. It has drawn up a five point charter to ensure these rights are enshrined in British law and to put down a marker for the Brexit negotiators to sign up to.
In this podcast we spoke to three of the 30 Labour MPs who have already put their names to it, Keir Starmer, the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, Angela Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, and Seema Malhotra, the MP for Feltham and Heston, and a member of the Brexit Select Committee. And then we asked Ivan Bartoletti, the Fabian Women’s Chair, to read the charter out to us. You can give your support by using #FWNCharter and @fabianwomen.
Listen to the podcasts
Maria Miller MP, Chair of the Equalities Select Committee, discusses with Boni Sones why she is going to take a look at how Brexit might impact on our equalities laws.
Three Labour MPs, Keir Starmer MP, Angela Rayner MP, Seema Malhotra MP, who have signed up to the new Fabian Charter to protect women’s rights in the Brexit negotiations, talk to Boni Sones about the charter.
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