Parliamentary Candidates

Fawcett asks Prospective Parliamentary Candidate’s to pledge their support to women

As part of our current election campaign ‘What About Women?’ Fawcett contacted Prospective Parliamentary Candidate’s (PPC’s) from around the country to ask them, if elected as an MP in the upcoming election, will they support action on women’s inequality in their constituency and the wider UK. Specifically we asked them if they would:

1.    Support local and national action to tackle the gender pay gap? (yes/no)

2.    Increase support services for women victims of rape as well as address the low level of rapes that end in a conviction? (yes/no)

3.    Work with Fawcett and others to ensure that both local and national deficit cutting proposals are assessed in terms of how they would impact on women – both regarding access to public services and women’s income’s? (yes/no)

The Results - * Further to the figures detailed in the Fawcett press release of 04/05/10, these figures represent up-to-date results as of 05/05/10*

• 2.6% of Conservative Party PPC’s contacted answered ‘yes’ to all 3 questions
• 23.9% of Labour Party PPC’s contacted answered ‘yes’ to all 3 questions
• 25.7% of Liberal Democrat PPC’s contacted answered ‘yes’ to all 3 questions
• 59.5% of Green Party PPC’s contacted answered ‘yes’ to all 3 questions

We also looked at the percentage of women that replied, relative to the overall percentage of women PPC’s standing for election for each party. The results are:

• 46% of responses from Conservative Party PPC’s were from women, compared with 24% standing overall
• 38% of responses from Labour Party PPC’s were from women, compared with 30% standing overall
• 31% of responses from Liberal Democrat PPC’s were from women, compared with 21% standing overall
• 33% of responses from Green Party PPC’s were from women, compared with 33% standing overall

Full details of the responses can be downloaded on the left hand side of this page.

PPC comments

The following quotes give a flavour of some of the comments we received in support of the campaign:

“I am proud of the progress made under Labour to address the scandalous gender pay gay. I appreciate that there is much more to do and, as a campaigner for equality, I would support more radical moves in Parliament."                                                 
Kevin McKeever, Labour Party PPC for Harborough

“I think that good government would entail an assessment of any disproportionate impact on women,
along with other social groups, of deficit cutting proposals.”
Antonia Cox, Conservative Party PPC for Islington South and Finsbury

“I will support an agenda, a very serious and vibrant agenda for women that will guarantee fairness, freedom, justice and equality for women not only in the UK but globally.”
Columba Blango, Liberal Democrat PPC for Camberwell and Peckham

“It is about time women were valued in accordance to the very great contribution we make to this country on so many different levels, and are certainly not punished for the often self-serving decisions that have led the country into this mess.”
Samantha Fletcher, Green Party PPC, Chippenham