Sophie Walker (born 27 May 1971) is a British political activist who was the founding leader of the

Women's Equality Party The Women's Equality Party (WEP) is a feminist political party set up in the United Kingdom in 2015. The idea was conceived by Catherine Mayer and Sandi Toksvig at the Women of the World Festival, when they concluded that there was a need for ...

(WE) in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. She led the party from 2015 until 2019, first appointed unanimously by the steering committee and then winning the Party's first leadership election in 2018. She announced her resignation in January 2019, saying she was "frustrated by the limits of my own work to ensure that women of colour, working class women and disabled women see themselves reflected in this party and know they can lead this movement" and adding that "sometimes in order to lead, you have to get out of the way." Walker was the WE party candidate in the

2016 London mayoral election The 2016 London mayoral election was held on 5 May 2016 to elect the Mayor of London, on the same day as the London Assembly election. It was the fifth election to the position of mayor, which was created in 2000 after a referendum in Greate ...

and in the 2017 General Election stood for WE against

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Philip Davies Philip Andrew Davies (born 5 January 1972) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shipley in West Yorkshire since the 2005 general election. A member of the Conservative Party, he is the most rebellious se ...

in Shipley. She was appointed Chief Executive of the Young Women's Trust in June 2019.

Early life

Walker was born on 27 May 1971, the daughter of Lesley and David Walker. She was born in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, but grew up in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. She attended university in England, studying English and French at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

(1989–1993). Walker then took a postgraduate diploma in newspaper journalism at City University, in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(1997–1998).

Journalist

Walker's early career was in journalism, working as a reporter and then as an editor at the

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

news agency. She covered the fields of finance, business and trade, plus politics. She reported from London, Paris and Washington and from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Women's Equality Party

Walker launched the policy manifesto of the Women's Equality Party (WE) at

Conway Hall The Conway Hall Ethical Society, formerly the South Place Ethical Society, based in London at Conway Hall, is thought to be the oldest surviving freethought organisation in the world and is the only remaining ethical society in the United King ...

, 20 October 2015, with six core objectives: equal representation in politics and business; equal representation in education; equal pay; equal treatment of women in the media; equal parenting rights; and an end to violence against women. Walker told

BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales br ...

Sunday Supplement ''Sunday Supplement'' (formerly ''Jimmy Hill's Sunday Supplement'') is a Sunday morning television programme in the United Kingdom about football which was broadcast between 1999 and 2020. The programme aired on Sunday mornings on Sky Sports P ...

'' programme that the party would be taking a

non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

approach to elections, "We will be undertaking consultations with our members and deciding which seats to target." WE is the only UK political party to offer affiliate membership with other parties. Under Walker's leadership the party grew to 75 UK branches and contested local, national and mayoral elections. It held two party conferences and ran multiple nationwide campaigns on topics related to its party objective

Walker was elected party leader in March 2018 with over 90% of the vote. The term of office is five years and was due to run until 2023, but Walker resigned in early 2019 citing frustration at the lack of diversity within the party. Walker was replaced as leader by

Mandu Reid Mandu Reid (born 1981) is the leader of the British Women's Equality Party (WEP). Early life and education Reid's mother is Black people, Black Malawi and her father is White British. Her parents met while her father was teaching English in Ma ...

London mayoral election, 2016

Walker stood for election in the London mayoral election held on 5 May 2016. She came sixth, with 53,055 votes (2% of the vote).

UK general election, 2017

Walker stood in the

2017 general election This national electoral calendar for 2017 lists the national/federal elections held in 2017 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 November ...

in Shipley against the sitting

, an anti-political correctness and men's rights campaigner. She received 1,040 votes (1.9%) and finished fourth out of four candidates.

Family life

Walker is married to Christopher Naylor, the former

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Barking and Dagenham council Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It provides a b ...

. They live in London and have one daughter. Grace, Walker's daughter from a previous marriage, has

Asperger's syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behav ...

and Walker wrote a blog to give her daughter's life a voice. This was published as the book ''Grace Under Pressure''. Walker has accepted an advocacy role with the

National Autistic Society The National Autistic Society is the leading charity for autistic people and their families in the UK. Since 1962, the National Autistic Society has been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, serv ...

Media appearances

Walker has appeared on a number of media broadcasts within the UK including a panel discussion on free speech and equality with

Jordan Peterson Jordan Bernt Peterson (born 12 June 1962) is a Canadian media personality, clinical psychologist, author, and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. He began to receive widespread attention as a public intellectual in the late 2010s ...

and

Michael Fabricant Michael Louis David Fabricant (born 12 June 1950) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lichfield in Staffordshire, formerly Mid Staffordshire, since 1992. Fabricant was ...

for ''

The Wright Stuff ''The Wright Stuff'' is a British television chat show which was hosted by former tabloid journalist Matthew Wright from 2000 until 2018. It aired on Channel 5 on weekday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am. The series characterised itself as "Br ...

''. Regarding the discussion she stated: "I think the difference between Jordan and me is that we look at evidence and we lean towards different theories. So, Jordan's theory is very much evolutionary, that there are inherent differences in men and women, mine is very much more

social role theory Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

, if you like, that men and women are taking on different roles due to the expectations that society puts on them." In 2015, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women. In 2018, Walker was named by ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine as one of the "New Suffragettes".

Publications

;Books * ;Articles * * * ;Broadcast Media * * In 2017, having led them to the final with two victories, Walker captained a team of celebrity former students from

Reading University The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

in ''

Christmas University Challenge ''Christmas University Challenge'' is a British quiz programme which has aired on BBC Two since 2011. It is a spin-off from University Challenge that airs daily over the Christmas period, and features teams of noteworthy alumni from British u ...

'' that was the first in the 55-year history of the quiz to fail to get a single question right.

References

External links

Women's Equality Party

Sophie Walker's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Sophie 1971 births 21st-century women journalists Alumni of City, University of London Alumni of the University of Reading British political party founders Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom Living people Scottish journalists Scottish women in politics Scottish women journalists Scottish women writers Women's Equality Party people