Harriet Harman wants new generation of female MPs to be 'rebellious' and 'put women first'
30 June 2024, 13:34 | Updated: 30 June 2024, 14:08
Harriet Harman has said she wants the next generation of women MPs in Parliament to be "rebellious".
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The former Leader of the Opposition told LBC's Lewis Goodall that there will be around 250 female MPs and a "new generation of a lot of women", should there be a large Labour majority.
"I would want those women to put women first rather than the party first" she said.
She added she hoped those women would work cross-party to deliver on women's issues in a way not done before.
The former Mother of the House was an MP for over 40 years - between 1982 to 2024 - making her one of the longest-serving MPs in British history.
Harriet Harman wants new generation of females in Parliament to be 'rebellious'
When probed on this, she explained: "I think that there's always the feeling that you've got to be loyal to the party, you've got to toe the line, you've got to be teamly.
"Actually sometimes women do have to kick off a bit in order to make some progress.
"When there are 250 of them they've got to recognise the power they've got.
The former Camberwell & Peckham MP added their numbers will make them "very powerful,"
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"I hope that that those women will think although women have got into Parliament and numbers have incresed we've never actually delivered for women."
She added that she hopes they would advocate for issues such as equal pay, universal free childcare and better maternity pay and leave.
"I hope that they will be quite rebellious those new women and actually tell the government what they've got to do for women".
Lewis Goodall speaks to Labour grandee Harriet Harman
Ms Harman also praised Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves for her work.
"She really has been ready to be Chancellor of the Exchequer since she was about 14," she said.
She added Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Bridget Phillipson are people who have overcome "massive challenges".
"I think they are very clever, resilient and well-prepared", adding she wishes them luck in government.
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Elsewhere, Ms Harman was asked about the lack of ambition in Labour's manifesto.
She said: "I think it is very ambitious but you've got to remember that however fed up people are with the Conservatives, they won't actually vote Labour unless they're confident they're going to be a competent, professional, sensible government and I think their concerns about competence and professionalism and stability have been enhanced and made even worse by Liz Truss and the chaos in the Tory party.
So I think the very first thing Keir Starmer's had to do is show that Labour's fit to govern, and I think that nobody wants any reckless promises anymore."
Furthermore, when quizzed on Sir Keir Starmer and his apparent lack of appeal, she recalled language used against former Prime Minister Tony Blair back in 1997.
"I remember the Tories' campaign against Tony Blair was that they called him Bambi, they said he was frivolous and vacuous and inexperienced and wouldn't be able to run the country, with hindsight we've reinterpreted what we think was said about him at the time, but I think that Keir Starmer's showing he's got competence, he's got professionalism, he's a serious person for serious times."
