Andy Burnham is being urged by female Labour MPs to commit to a 50:50 gender split within his government should he become prime minister in July, as a draft letter seen by the BBC warns that women are being sidelined in decision-making. But while he grapples with demands to address “toxicity and misogyny” within the party, the man tipped to replace Keir Starmer remains virtually unknown across the Atlantic.
The draft letter from the Women’s Parliamentary Labour Party (WPLP) states: “We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government.” Labour has never had an elected female leader, while the Conservatives have had three female prime ministers and are currently led by Kemi Badenoch.
“Labour women demand 50:50 gender split from Burnham as he faces US indifference, with Mehdi Hasan saying no one in America knows his name.”
Burnham is expected to remove Chancellor Rachel Reeves from her position as the first ever woman in No 11, and the top contenders to replace her are men. He will also bring back New Labour ally James Purnell as his chief of staff, a position shared by two women under Sir Keir Starmer.
One member of the WPLP suggested it would not be acceptable “to have more Milibands in the great offices of state than women”. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is a possible contender for chancellor, with speculation that his brother David could return as foreign secretary via the House of Lords.
At a meeting this week, Burnham promised to sack any staff who undermined women in his team. The draft letter, yet to be sent, also calls for a female deputy prime minister and a separate first minister of state for women, as well as zero tolerance of bullying or misogyny from No 10 staff. It highlights threats to women, particularly ethnic minority MPs, calling for better security and legislation to limit online abuse and deepfakes.
Yet beyond Westminster, Burnham’s profile is negligible. Mehdi Hasan, founder of Zeteo and former New Statesman political editor, told the New Statesman’s podcast: “No one cares. If you walk towards Capitol Hill and flag down a passing member of Congress, they would not be able to tell you Andy Burnham’s name. Many of them would struggle to tell you Keir Starmer’s name.” Hasan, who lived in the UK before moving to the US 12 years ago, said the “special relationship” is with Israel, not the UK. For all the domestic pressure to equalise power between men and women, Burnham may find that his biggest challenge is simply being noticed on the world stage.