Women's Equality Party
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The Women's Equality Party (WEP) was a feminist political party set up in the United Kingdom in 2015. The idea was conceived by Catherine Mayer and
Sandi Toksvig Sandra Birgitte Toksvig (; ; born 3 May 1958) is a Danish-British broadcaster, comedian, presenter and writer on British radio, stage and television. She is also a political activist, having co-founded the Women's Equality Party in 2015. She ha ...
at the
Women of the World Festival WOW – Women of the World Festival (WOW, WOW Festival) is a network of arts festivals that celebrate the achievements of women and girls as well as highlighting the obstacles that face them, and is part of a global feminist movement. The WOW F ...
, when they concluded that there was a need for a party to campaign for
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...
to the benefit of all. The launch meeting was on 28 March 2015 under the title "The Women's Equality Party needs you. But probably not as much as you need the Women's Equality Party". The party's full policy was launched by its then-leader Sophie Walker at
Conway Hall Conway Hall in Red Lion Square, London, is the headquarters of the Conway Hall Ethical Society. It is a Grade II listed building. History The building was commissioned by the South Place Ethical Society, which had previously been accommodated ...
on 20 October 2015. In January 2020, Mandu Reid took over as the party's leader. The party had one principal authority councillor on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, elected in
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
. It also had two seats on Congleton Town Council, where Kay Wesley served as the party's first Town Mayor, and had a seat on Stinsford Parish Council.


History

On 2 March 2015, author and journalist Catherine Mayer attended a "Women in Politics" event at the
Women of the World Festival WOW – Women of the World Festival (WOW, WOW Festival) is a network of arts festivals that celebrate the achievements of women and girls as well as highlighting the obstacles that face them, and is part of a global feminist movement. The WOW F ...
(at the
Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...
in central London). The panel was chaired by
Jude Kelly Judith "Jude" Pamela Kelly, (born March 1954), is a British theatre director and producer. She is a director of the WOW Foundation, which organises the annual Women of the World Festival, founded in 2010 by Kelly. From 2006 to 2018, she was ...
(Artistic Director, Southbank Centre), and the panel consisted of Katie Ghose (CEO,
Electoral Reform Society The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) is an Advocacy group, independent advocacy organisation in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It seeks to replace first-past-the-post voting with proportional representation, advocating the si ...
),
Margot James Margot Cathleen James (born 28 August 1957) is a British politician who served as Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Minister of State for Digital and Creative Industries from 2018 to 2019. She was Member of Parliament (United Kin ...
(
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
),
Stella Creasy Stella Judith Creasy (born 5 April 1977) is a British Labour and Co-operative politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Walthamstow since 2010. She served in the frontbench teams of Ed Miliband and Harriet Harman from 2011 to 2015. ...
( Labour) and
Jo Swinson Joanne Kate Swinson (born 5 February 1980) is a former British politician who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from July to December 2019. Swinson was Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for East Dunbartonshire ( ...
( Lib Dem). Having watched the panelists agreeing collegially with each other on almost every point, Mayer stood up and said, "What about if I found a Women's Equality Party, tell you what, I'm going to go to the bar afterwards, anyone interested in discussing this come and see me." On 8 March 2015 (
International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...
), at the same festival, comedian
Sandi Toksvig Sandra Birgitte Toksvig (; ; born 3 May 1958) is a Danish-British broadcaster, comedian, presenter and writer on British radio, stage and television. She is also a political activist, having co-founded the Women's Equality Party in 2015. She ha ...
presented an event entitled "Sandi Toksvig's Mirth Control: Stand Up and Be Counted". Interviewed by
Jenni Murray Dame Jennifer Susan Murray, (''née'' Bailey; born 12 May 1950) is an English journalist and broadcaster, best known for presenting BBC Radio 4's '' Woman's Hour'' from 1987 to 2020. Early life Murray was born in Barnsley, West Riding of Yo ...
on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
's ''
Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...
'', Toksvig said: "I had a fantasy cabinet of women, and I didn't care which party they came from, we had
Doreen Lawrence Doreen Delceita Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, (; born 1952 in Jamaica), is a British Jamaican campaigner and the mother of Stephen Lawrence, a black British teenager who was murdered in a racist attack in South East London in 1993. ...
as our
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...
. Can you imagine anything more wonderful? We had
paralympian The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...
Tanni Grey-Thompson Carys Davina Grey-Thompson, Baroness Grey-Thompson, ( Grey; born 26 July 1969), known as Tanni Grey-Thompson, is a Welsh life peeress, television presenter and former wheelchair racer. Athletic career Grey-Thompson started wheelchair racin ...
as our Sports Minister, and I asked them to put forward practical suggestions. The world is in a parlous state, 9.1 million women failed to vote in the last election, we need to attract them, we also need to attract the more than 7 million men who didn't vote. Why are people not engaged in politics, because I don't think that the people standing represent the diversity of this country." Mayer phoned Toksvig, and the two agreed to become co-founders of the party. The first meeting of the as yet unnamed party was on 28 March 2015. Speakers included: Suzanne Moore, who had previously stood for parliament as an independent candidate; Sophie Walker, who spoke on careers, parenting and ensuring that both parents have opportunities in both; Halla Gunnarsdóttir, who described a women's equality party in Iceland; and Hannah McGrath, who discussed the practicalities of starting a party. The meeting was covered on ''Woman's Hour'' and by the press, including '' Glamour'' magazine and the ''
London Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...
''. A second meeting took place at
Conway Hall Conway Hall in Red Lion Square, London, is the headquarters of the Conway Hall Ethical Society. It is a Grade II listed building. History The building was commissioned by the South Place Ethical Society, which had previously been accommodated ...
on 18 April, and included Sandi Toksvig, Mandy Colleran,
Nimko Ali Nimko Ali (), alternatively spelled Nimco (born ), is a British social activist of Somali people, Somali heritage. She is the co-founder and CEO of The Five Foundation, a global partnership to end female genital mutilation (FGM). Ali underw ...
, Shabnam Shabazi and
Stella Duffy Stella Frances Silas Duffy (born 1963) is a London-born writer and theatremaker. Born in London, she spent her childhood in New Zealand before returning to the UK. Early life and education Born in London in 1963 to a New Zealand father and an ...
as speakers. On 30 April, Toksvig announced that she was leaving her position as compère of Radio 4's ''
The News Quiz ''The News Quiz'' is a British topical panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 1977. The show, created by John Lloyd from an idea by Nicholas Parsons, has seen several hosts, including Barry Norman, Barry Took, Simon Hogg ...
'' in order to help set up the new
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
, which was now named the Women's Equality Party. Speaking at the
Hay Festival The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, better known as the Hay Festival (), is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for 10 days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was d ...
in May, Toksvig reported that since she had announced the move on BBC One's ''
The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...
'', she had been subjected to a significant level of abuse online. The Women's Equality Party was registered with the
Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
on 20 July 2015. On 22 July,
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
journalist Sophie Walker was announced as the party's first leader. Walker went on to stand in Shipley at the 2017 general election, but lost to Conservative Party MP and men's rights activist
Philip Davies Sir Philip Andrew Davies (born 5 January 1972) is a British Conservative politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shipley in West Yorkshire following the 2005 general election until 2024. He voted against the Conservativ ...
.


Leadership contest 2018

The party announced its first leadership contest in December 2017. Nominations opened on 5 January 2018, and closed on 24 January. Two candidates were nominated: interim leader Sophie Walker and Magda Devas, who had previously run for the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
in the Streatham Wells ward in the Lambeth London Borough Council election of 2010 and that of 2014. The ballot opened on 14 February 2018, and closed on 6 March; Walker was declared the winner on 8 March. Walker had been due to serve a five-year term until 2023 but resigned 10 months later, stating "sometimes in order to lead, you have to get out of the way". She was replaced by interim leader Mandu Reid, the party's national spokesperson on equal parenting and caregiving, its candidate in the 2018 Lewisham East by-election, and the CEO of period poverty charity The Cup Effect.


Decision to dissolve party

In October 2024, it was reported that the party's founders planned to dissolve the WEP pending the approval of the party's membership in November, citing financial difficulties and changes in the political environment. The party then had about 5,600 members and 24,000 registered supporters. This reportedly followed a failed attempt by the leadership of the WEP and the
Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW; ), often known simply as the Green Party or the Greens, is a Green politics, green, Left-wing politics, left-wing political party in England and Wales. Since October 2021, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ram ...
to formalise a partnership, with the motion to allow this failing to muster support at the Green Party conference. At a special conference on 17 November 2024, 78% of members voted to dissolve the party, surpassing the 75% threshold for this vote to pass.


Political aims and views

The party's mission statement opened with: "Equality for women isn't a women's issue. When women fulfil their potential, everyone benefits. Equality means better politics, a more vibrant economy, a workforce that draws on the talents of the whole population and a society at ease with itself". Describing the six aims, Mayer said: "It's a very narrow palette, we're not looking to be a party that can answer questions about what should be done in the Ukraine, or trying to have a platform on the environment or anything else, we are focusing absolutely narrowly on that equality agenda." Party leader Walker agreed: "We won't have policies on other issues. We are going to concentrate, laser-like, on all of the above, to make them happen. And we will welcome people from any other political party that agrees with our values of diversity and inclusivity to work with us." However, Walker promised that the party's working definition of the word "woman", as well as more detail of the party's policies, would be covered in its policy launch, following consultation with party members. Early indications of what to expect included Walker's call for a gender quota system to select MPs at the following two elections so that equal representation could be achieved in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
by 2025. Walker also called for six weeks' paid leave, at 90% pay, for both parents after having a baby, as well as an extra 10 months of shared leave at statutory pay. Writing in the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'', Toksvig stated that the party further proposed that industrial tribunal costs be reduced from over £1,000 to "£50 for those who can afford it" in order to "empower all women to speak out about sexism at work." The party launched its full set of policies on 20 October 2015 at Conway Hall.


First party conference

The inaugural Women's Equality Party conference took place in Manchester on 25–27 November 2016, with opening speeches by founders Catherine Mayer and Sandi Toksvig on the first day, and Sophie Walker's leader's speech on the second day. Motions carried at the conference include: a motion to expand the UK's definition of
hate crime Hate crime (also known as bias crime) in criminal law involves a standard offence (such as an assault, murder) with an added element of bias against a victim (individual or group of individuals) because of their physical appearance or perceived ...
to include
misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...
; a motion to strengthen the legislation for carers who need flexible working arrangements; and a motion to fully decriminalise abortion across the UK (the current Abortion Act excludes Northern Ireland). Other speakers at the Conference included CEO of the Young Women’s Trust
Carole Easton Carole Easton OBE is chief executive of Young Women's Trust (previously Platform 51), a charity supporting and representing disadvantaged young women. She is a previous Chair of Young Minds, a charity committed to improving the emotional well-bei ...
, psychologist Carolyn Kagan, former President of the National Union of Students Shakira Martin, sexual harassment lawyer Dr.
Ann Olivarius Ann Olivarius (born 19 February 1955) is an American-British lawyer who specializes in cases of civil litigation, sexual discrimination, and sexual harassment, assault, and abuse. Early life and education Ann Olivarius grew up in New Jersey, t ...
, and Swedish politician
Gudrun Schyman Gerd ''Gudrun'' Maria Schyman (born 9 June 1948) is a Swedish politician. She served as leader of the Swedish Left Party (Sweden), Left Party from 1993 until January 2003. She remained a member of the Left Party until 2004, when she left to focus ...
.


Additional party goal

A seventh goal of the party was added to the existing six at the party's first conference.


Second party conference

The second party conference took place in
Kettering Kettering is a market town, market and industrial town, industrial town in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, west of Cambridge, England, Cambridge, southwest of Peterborough, southeast of Leicester and north- ...
in September 2018. Among the motions passed was one supporting the
People's Vote People's Vote was a United Kingdom campaign group that unsuccessfully campaigned for a second referendum following the UK's Brexit vote to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016. The group was launched in April 2018 at which four Members of ...
campaign calling for a public vote on the final
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union.


Abortion

During its existence the party supported removing abortion from criminal law and supported safe access to abortions.


Position regarding gender self-identification

In November 2022, the party voted in support of a motion to back
gender self-identification Gender self-identification or gender self-determination is the concept that a person's legal sex or gender is determined by their gender identity, without medical or judicial requirements. It is a major goal of the transgender rights movement. Ad ...
. Of the party members who took part in the vote at the party's conference, 138 voted in favour of gender self-identification, while 29 opposed, and 5 abstained.


The party's name

The party's name was "debated and discussed at two public meetings". When Toksvig was asked why the party was named the Women's Equality Party, rather than just the Equality Party, she answered: "Because there is a huge issue, women are certainly not equal.... It's time that women, finally, after all these years, what is it, almost a hundred years since we finally got the vote, it's time we stepped up and took our equal place in society." She also stated the party's motto, "Equality is better for everybody". Mayer also stated, "I'm very happy with the name: all genders are joining us and I hope they continue to. More than half the population is living in inequality and that is genuinely not good for everyone, economically or culturally."


Elections


2015

The party did not field any candidates in the 2015 general election, but planned to do so when the next election was assumed to be in 2020. Walker told
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Wales, Welsh national radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the Welsh opt-out service of BBC Radio 4. As of August 2022, the stat ...
' ''Sunday Supplement'' programme that the party would be taking a
non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...
approach to elections, stating that "We will be undertaking consultations with our members and deciding which seats to target". Figures from the party suggested that there was a possibility that an existing Member of Parliament (MP) might defect to the party before the party contested an election, citing the example of how the
UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP, ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of parliament (both through defect ...
got its first MPs. although this did not happen. Initially Walker neither ruled in or out the possibility of a WEP 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 2016 London Assembly election, London Assembly election. It was the fifth election to the position of mayor, which was created in 2000 ...
: "We'd like to. It's a £20,000 losable deposit, though. If you're
Zac Goldsmith Frank Zacharias Robin Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith of Richmond Park, (born 20 January 1975) is a British politician, life peer and journalist who served as Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environmen ...
that's not such a big deal but if a woman from a normal background wants to speak out for women and do it with the mayorship, automatically she's almost excluded". However, in October 2015, the party announced its intention to field candidates in the
2016 London Assembly election The 2016 London Assembly election was an election held on 5 May 2016 to elect the members of the London Assembly. It took place on the same day as the London mayoral election and the United Kingdom local elections. Four parties had AMs in th ...
.


2016

Following various fundraisers, the party was able to field candidates in the 2016 London elections (Walker in the Mayoral election, plus candidates for the
London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds supermajority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject t ...
); Scottish Parliament election, Glasgow region (Anne Beetham, Susan Mackay, Ruth Wilkinson, Calum Shepherd, Penelope Haddrill, Carol Young) and Lothian region (Lee Chalmers, Jennifer Royston, Catriona MacDonald and Abigail Herrmann); and the Welsh Assembly election in
South Wales Central South Wales Central () is an electoral region of the Senedd, consisting of eight constituencies. The region elects 12 members, eight directly elected constituency members and four additional members. The electoral region was first used in 1999, ...
(Sharon Lovell, Emma Rose, Sarah Rees and Ruth Williams). Supporters of the WEP's election bid included:
Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Emma Thompson on screen and stage, Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson, her accola ...
,
Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...
,
Hugh Quarshie Hugh Anthony Quarshie (born 22 December 1954) is a Ghanaian-born British actor. He is known for his long-running role as Ric Griffin on the BBC One medical drama ''Holby City'' (2001–20), and for playing Captain Panaka in the ''Star Wars'' ...
,
Tanya Moodie Tanya Moodie (born 16 April 1972) is a British-Canadian actor and producer, best known for her work on ''Motherland'', ''Silo'', and her many stage credits, which include productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatr ...
, Philippa Perry,
Jack Monroe Jack Monroe (born 17 March 1988) is a British food writer, journalist and activist known for campaigning on poverty issues, particularly hunger relief. She initially rose to prominence when a post on her blog ''A Girl Called Jack'' (now rena ...
,
Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English actress, comedian, presenter and writer. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Satur ...
,
Rosie Boycott Rosel Marie "Rosie" Boycott, Baroness Boycott (born 13 May 1951) is a British journalist and feminist. Early life The daughter of Major Charles Boycott and Betty Le Sueur Boycott, Rosel Marie "Rosie" Boycott was born in Saint Helier, Jersey. S ...
and
Caitlin Moran Catherine Elizabeth Moran ( ; born 5 April 1975) is an English journalist, broadcaster, and author at ''The Times'', where she writes two columns a week: one for the Saturday Magazine, and the satirical Friday column "Celebrity Watch". Moran w ...
. The WEP did not win any seats in the elections: Walker gained 53,055 votes (2.04%) in the first round of voting for London mayor. The party's best result was on the London-wide list where it finished sixth with 91,772 votes (3.5%). Anne Beetham gained 2,091 votes (0.8%) in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
and Lee Chalmers gained 3,877 votes (1.2%) in
Lothian Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...
. Overall the WEP obtained 5,968 votes, 0.3% of the Scottish vote. Sharon Lovell, Emma Rose, Sarah Rees and Ruth Williams gained 2,807 votes, 1.2% of the total vote in
South Wales Central South Wales Central () is an electoral region of the Senedd, consisting of eight constituencies. The region elects 12 members, eight directly elected constituency members and four additional members. The electoral region was first used in 1999, ...
. The overall total number of votes cast for the party in Scotland, Wales and London was 350,000.


2017

Tabitha Morton from Netherton stood in the Liverpool City Region mayoral election. She came seventh, receiving 4,287 first round votes (1.5%). In the 2017 general election the party stood seven candidates. None were elected, and all lost their deposits. The best result among them was by Sophie Walker coming fourth in Shipley against the sitting Conservative MP Philip Davies, a men's rights and anti-political correctness campaigner. The party targeted Davies's seat because of his role in blocking legislation that would have implemented better support for domestic violence victims, and because of his public comments about women, people with disabilities and LGBT people. Academics Emily Harmer and Rosalynd Southern write that: "Targeting Davies was controversial due to fears over potential vote-splitting and the fact that the WEP failed to engage with local feminist groups". The full list of WEP candidates in the 2017 general election is below:


2018

The party put up candidates in more than 30 elections in the local elections of 2018. None were elected. Mandu Reid stood as a candidate for the WEP in the 2018 Lewisham East by-election; she came fifth out of the 14 candidates, receiving 506 votes (2.3%).


2019


General election

The party put forward three candidates at the 2019 general election, all of whom lost their deposits, due to winning a low number of votes. These constituencies have previously had an MP suspended from his respective party because of allegations of sexual assault or harassment, although all three MPs that had been accused did not seek re-election. Two prospective WEP candidates in Sheffield Hallam and the Cities of London and Westminster stood aside to support the Liberal Democrats after they agreed to implement a WEP policy to challenge two MPs, one accused of writing sexist messages online and the other of grabbing and manhandling a female environmental protester.


Local elections

The party put up candidates in more than 20 of the local elections of 2019. The party saw its first councillor, Kay Wesley, elected. Wesley was standing as the sole Women's Equality Party candidate and received 1250 votes (a 5.7% share of the vote) to represent the East Ward on Congleton Town Council.


2020

In January 2020, Mandu Reid was announced as the party leader following her role as interim leader since early 2019.


2021

Reid was the party's candidate for the
2021 London mayoral election The 2021 London mayoral election was held on 6 May 2021 to elect the mayor of London. It was held simultaneously with 2021 London Assembly election, elections for the London Assembly, 2021 United Kingdom local elections, other local elections ...
on 6 May 2021, having replaced Sue Black, who had to withdraw for health reasons. Reid finished tenth in the mayoral election with 21,182 votes (0.8%). The party also stood on the London-wide list in the
2021 London Assembly election The 2021 London Assembly election was held on 6 May 2021 to elect the members of the London Assembly, alongside the 2021 London mayoral election. The mayoral and Assembly elections were originally to be held on 7 May 2020, but on 13 March 202 ...
, coming fifth with 55,684 votes (2.2%), a fall compared to their previous result. It also stood 3 candidates in the
Lothian Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...
region (coming tenth with 0.3%, down 0.9% from the previous election) and 4 candidates in the
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
region (coming tenth with 0.3%, down 0.5% from the previous election) for the
2021 Scottish Parliament election The 2021 Scottish Parliament election took place on 6 May 2021 under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998. It was the sixth Scottish Parliament election since the parliament was re-established in 1999. 129 Member of the Scottish Parliament, ...
. Hannah Barham-Brown stood for the Party in the 2021 North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner by-election, finishing fifth with 8,837 (10.2%) of the first-round votes. The election was called following the resignation of Philip Allott, following widely criticised comments he had made about Sarah Everard.


2022

The party stood two candidates in the 2022 City of London Corporation election, both of whom came last in their wards. Harini Iyengar received an 11.1% share of the vote in the ward of Bread Street out of four candidates, while Alison Smith received a 3.2% share of the vote in the ward of Portsoken out of seven candidates.


2023

The party stood 14 candidates in the local elections of 2023. Kay Wesley was re-elected to Congleton Town Council for the South East Ward (925 votes, a 12.2% share and 43.3% voters supporting on multi-vote ballot) and a second party candidate, Susan Mead, elected in Congleton North East (702 votes, a 15.3% share and 45.7% voters supporting on multi-vote ballot). Wesley narrowly missed election to
Cheshire East Council Cheshire East Council is the local authority for Cheshire East, a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs th ...
by 19 votes (polling 1132, an 11.5% share and 30.2% of voters choosing WEP on multi-vote ballots). WEP Candidate Stacy Hart came second in Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, with 925 votes to the Conservatives' 1000 (36.8% vote/voter share).


2024

On 8 April, Women's Equality Party candidate Sarah Pattison was appointed to
Stinsford Stinsford is a village and civil parish in southwest Dorset, England, about east of Dorchester. The parish includes the settlements of Higher and Lower Bockhampton. The name Stinsford may derive from , Old English for a limited area of pasture ...
Parish Council in Dorset, in an uncontested election. In the 2024 local elections a Women's Equality Party candidate, Stacy Hart, was elected to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for the Hatch Warren & Beggarwood ward; Hart was elected with 1,659 votes (61.6%), gaining the seat from the Conservatives. In the 2024 general election, the party put forward four candidates:


Membership and local organisations

Reportedly, 1,300 people joined the party on the day that it opened up membership, which costs £4 per month. In the first financial year, the party raised £512,219 in membership fees. , 65 local and regional Women's Equality Party groups had been founded, and in July 2016 the party reported that it had 65,000 members. The WEP was described as "the fastest growing political force in the UK" in a ''
Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...
'' article on the party's campaigning for the May 2016 London mayoral election. The party's membership reportedly grew from 25,000 to 55,000 in the month following the European Union membership referendum. In September 2020, it was reported that the party's membership was 30,000. On 26 October 2024, it was reported that the party had "more than 5,600 paying members and about 24,000 registered supporters".


Fundraising and donations

The party's first
fundraiser Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
– held in front of 400 people, including businesswoman
Martha Lane Fox Martha Lane Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho (born 10 February 1973) is a British businesswoman, philanthropist and public servant. She co-founded Last Minute during the dotcom boom of the early 2000s and has subsequently served on public servi ...
– took place at Conway Hall on 9 June 2015. In September that year Toksvig announced the dates for a comedy tour to raise funds for the party. In the party's first year (ending 31 December 2015) £512,219 was raised through membership fees, £38,528 through fundraising activities and £79,212 was raised through donations. The artist
Damien Hirst Damien Steven Hirst (; né Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist and art collector. He was one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingdom's richest ...
created a piece of work for auction entitled "Spin Drawing for Women's Equality" (2015). The piece, which contained the party's colours, raised £20,000 when it was auctioned in April 2016. The artists
Jake and Dinos Chapman Iakovos "Jake" Chapman (born 1966) and Konstantinos "Dinos" Chapman (born 1962) are British visual artists, previously known as the Chapman Brothers. Their art explores deliberately shocking subject matters; for instance, in 2008, they produc ...
also began a campaign, stamping the words "Womens Equality Party" onto 2p coins and then returning them into circulation. (
Suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
s had also defaced pennies.) In the party's second year (ending 31 December 2016) £447,946 was raised through membership fees, £35,918 through fundraising activities and £261,394 was raised through donations.


Criticisms

A year before the creation of the WEP, Suzanne Moore suggested in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' that a feminist party should be formed, saying: "the false doctrine of austerity has meant that women, single mothers in particular, and public sector workers in general, have been at the frontline of this war. They have been demonised and subject to punitive cuts." Writing in ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
'', Kate Maltby responded by saying, "My feminism is directly tied to a commitment to meritocracy and individual flourishing...if her oore'sgrand new feminist party kicks off by nationalising private property, I'm hardly going to be able to sign up". The British edition of '' GQ'' also accused the party of "alienating 50 per cent of the electorate", adding that: "while the WEP may aim to appeal to both female Tory voters and female Labour voters, it doesn't take away from the implicit suggestion that the party – which aims for 'diverse' membership – is still aimed almost solely at women". The party was also criticised "for being white, middle-class affluent women". The International Union of Sex Workers (IUSW) criticised the party's stance on supporting the criminalisation of commercial sex. This policy was also criticised by other women, including the journalist Abi Wilkinson. The Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (SWARM), Scot-Pep, and National Ugly Mugs all condemned the way the then party leader Sophie Walker spoke about a sex worker in 2018. The organisations rejected the party's idea of criminalisation in the sex industry, with the organisations saying that they do not support increased police powers, nor enforcement against sex workers, and that criminalisation would do nothing to end poverty or give migrants better work options. The party was also accused of being "both too ambitious and not ambitious enough", that, in order to maintain traction, it ought to concentrate on just one issue, e.g., quotas in the boardroom. Heather Brunskell-Evans, the former spokeswoman for the party on violence against women and a research fellow at
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
, was criticised in 2017 for expressing
transphobic Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender or transsexual people, or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social ...
viewpoints on transgender children. Speaking on '' The Moral Maze'' on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
in 2017, she argued that transgender adults should be free to define themselves as they wish, but questioned whether positive affirmation was the only way to help children expressing confusion about their gender. Brunskell-Evans said that "If a child decides that it's an astronaut, one can play along with this. One doesn't have to moralise about it but quite clearly the child is not an astronaut. In fact it's incumbent upon adults who are responsible for the welfare, psychological and social and medical, of children not to go along with this story", and stated her belief that recognising gender incongruence was "imposing", "abusive", and "imposing restrictions on children". Subsequently, she withdrew from a King's event after protests by students, and three transgender members complained to the party that she was "promoting prejudice against the transgender community". Brunskell-Evans was investigated by the party and subsequently resigned.


Electoral performance


General elections


London Mayoral elections


London Assembly elections


National Assembly for Wales elections


Scottish Parliament elections


See also

*
Feminism in the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, as in other countries, feminism seeks to establish political, social, and economic equality for women. The history of feminism in Britain dates to the very beginnings of feminism itself, as many of the earliest feminist wr ...
* Party of Women


References


Notes

: :* Janet Baker, Brixton Hill ward, Lambeth · Ann Butler, Walkley ward, Sheffield · Diane Coffey, Heatons North ward, Stockport · Cat Crossley, Baildon ward, Bradford · Claire Empson, Goose Green ward, Southwark · Leila Fazal, Ferndale ward, Lambeth · Bea Gare, Duryard & St James ward, Exeter · Tulip Hambleton, Town ward, Enfield · Jo Heathcote, Chorlton ward, Manchester · Eleanor Hemmens, Prince's ward, Lambeth · Harini Iyengar,
Mayor of Hackney The mayor of Hackney is a directly elected mayor responsible for the executive function of Hackney London Borough Council in London, England. The post was created following a referendum in the London Borough of Hackney on 2 May 2002. The inaugur ...
(and also Dalston ward, Hackney) · Louise Jennings, Headingley and Hyde Park ward, Leeds · Sam Johnson, Deansgate ward, Manchester · Emma Ko, Queens Park ward, Brent · Jean Laight, St. Georges ward, Harrogate · Jessie Macneil-Brown, Bethnal Green ward, Tower Hamlets · Alison Marshall, Highbury West ward, Islington · Caroline MacVay, Plaistow and Sundridge ward, Bromley · Rebecca Manson Jones, Ladywell ward, Lewisham · Liz Orr, Culverden ward, Tunbridge Wells · Caroline Rayfield, Twickenham Riverside ward, Richmond · Mandu Reid, Lewisham Central ward, Lewisham · Pamela Richie, Charlton ward, Greenwich · Eileen Scholes, Borough & Bankside ward, Southwark · Helen Shay, Stray ward, Harrogate · Amanda Shribman, West Finchley ward, Barnet · Leisa Taylor, Bedwardine ward, Worcester · Wendy Thomson, Peppard ward, Reading · Nikki Uppal, Hillrise ward, Islington · Kate Vang, Brockley ward, Lewisham
: :* Nicke Adebowale, Evelyn ward (by-election), Lewisham · Hannah Barham-Brown, Roundhay ward, Leeds · Beverly Barstow, Hanover and Elm Grove ward, Brighton and Hove · Vinice Bridget Cowell, Chalkwell ward, Southend-on-Sea · Priya Brown, Eastrop ward, Basingstoke and Deane · Jen Bryan, Heatons North ward, Stockport · Samantha Days, Crumpsall ward, Manchester · Sally Duffin, Heworth ward, York · Bea Gare, Duryard & St. James ward, Exeter · Amy Gooding, Walkley ward, Sheffield · Cairis Grant-Hickey, Whitefoot ward (by-election), Lewisham · Jo Heathcote, Chorlton ward, Manchester · Caroline Hunt, Headingley & Hyde Park ward, Leeds · Louise Jennings, Alwoodley ward, Leeds · Sam Johnson, Deansgate ward, Manchester · Jessie MacNeil-Brown, Central Hove ward, Brighton and Hove · Liz Orr, Culverden ward, Tunbridge Wells · Sarika Paul, Didsbury West ward, Manchester · Erika Raffle-Currie, Childwall ward, Liverpool · Kanndiss Riley, Cliftonville East ward, Thanet · Megan Senior, Ecclesall ward, Sheffield · Leisa Taylor, Bedwardine ward, Worcester · Celine Thomas, Pantiles & St Mark's ward, Tunbridge Wells · Louise Timlin, Evendons ward, Wokingham · Kay Wesley, Congleton East ward, Cheshire East (and Kay Wesley, Congleton Town Council) · Jane Whild, Campbell Park & Old Woughton ward, Milton Keynes · Annie Wood, Eccles ward, Salford : :* Stacy Hart, Hatch Warren and Beggarwood Ward, Basingstoke and Deane · Paula King, Reddish North, Stockport · Diane Coffey, Heatons North ward, Stockport · Samantha Days, Crumpsall ward, Manchester · Hattie Thomas, Mossley ward, Tameside and Hattie Thomas, Mossley Parish, Cheshire · Sharon Richards, Manor ward, Trafford · Louise Timlin, Evendons West ward, Wokingham and Louise Timlin, Evendons ward, Wokingham Borough · Susan Mead, Congleton North East Ward, Congleton Town Council · Kay Wesley, Congleton East ward, Cheshire East and Kay Wesley, South East Ward, Congleton Town Council) · Jane Whild, Newport Pagnell North and Hanslope, Milton Keynes · Donna-Maree Humphery, Weaste and Seedley, Salford


Further reading

* * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Women's Equality Party 2015 establishments in the United Kingdom Political parties established in 2015 Feminist parties in the United Kingdom 2024 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Political parties disestablished in 2024