One thing is certain: the Labour leader is a man and will still be a man after this mud-slinging bloodbath of an election contest is over.
By contrast, women occupy leading roles in almost every other significant political force in the UK. The leader of the Scottish Labour party, Kezia Dugdale, has recently agreed a set of significant reforms with Corbyn to give her party further autonomy as she battles the ascendent Scottish National party in Scotland. Indeed, Dugdale is the third woman leader to be elected by the Scottish Labour party, and was voted in before Corbyn and on a mandate as sizeable as his.
The Conservatives have their second female leader and prime minister in Theresa May and the formidable Ruth Davidson leads them in Scotland, where one of the most impressive politicians of the modern era, Nicola Sturgeon, is at the helm of the SNP. Plaid Cymru has Leanne Wood at its helm and Caroline Lucas has made a welcome return to the leadership of the Green party as one half of a job share.
Even Ukip, renowned for the most appalling misogynistic public statements (remember Godfrey Bloom’s “joke” that women who did not clean their kitchens properly were “sluts”?) now has a woman leader in Diane James. Frances O’Grady is the first woman leader of the Trades Union Congress, working hard to represent a modern trade union movement now populated by a majority (55.5%) of women.
So how can the Labour leader (probably Jeremy Corbyn) correct the inequality within the party’s ranks, and do better still by delivering a feminist leadership team and social democratic agenda?
Corbyn is an instinctive feminist, although this cannot be said for everyone in his circle. But the composition and announcement of his first shadow cabinet was a disaster. While it was 52% women, none of the traditional great offices of state (prime minister, chancellor, foreign and home offices) were shadowed by a woman.
Labour’s civil war of the past year has produced a macho and misogynistic atmosphere. The 44 MPs who wrote to Corbyn to complain that his supporters were disproportionately targeting women cannot be ignored. But this is not purely a “hard left” issue. Look at John McDonnell and Alistair Campbell nearly coming to blows on national television. Remember Owen Smith’s sideswipe at Angela Eagle. He was the “normal” candidate who spoke of “smashing” Theresa May back on her heels.
And yet there is hope. Corbyn’s most effective lieutenants have turned out to be women. The able advocacy of Diane Abbott and Emily Thornberry has proved invaluable to his leadership this summer.
So, if one assumes that the leader and chancellor remain the same after next week, imagine the following fantasy feminist shadow cabinet.
Emily Thornberry remains shadow foreign secretary. With appropriate junior shadow ministerial support, her legal background and strong internationalist human rights values make her the perfect foil to The Three Brexiteers of Johnson, Davis and Fox.
Diane Abbott becomes shadow home secretary. With decades of experience in the chamber and incredible public recognition, who better to take on Amber Rudd? She would be the first black Briton – of either party – to hold the pivotal home affairs brief. This would mean that of the top four posts in Corbyn’s team, two would be held by women.
The energy Tom Watson has previously directed against Corbyn would be better directed against that other Jeremy – Hunt, and his dismantling of the NHS. So Watson stands aside for a female deputy leader. For this role, Lisa Nandy and Kate Green would both be excellent candidates. They serve northern constituencies and each supported Smith’s leadership bid. Both could play a vital role in building a united party and – to quote Green – finding ways to “address the root causes of gender inequality”.
Luciana Berger and Shabana Mahmood are extremely able parliamentarians and would both be assets to Corbyn’s top team if the former could be persuaded to return and the latter to join.
Once the shadow cabinet is announced, the national executive unites to recommend a constitutional amendment for 2017 that ensures that future leadership and deputy leadership elections are staggered to ensure a deputy of a different gender to the Labour leader.
Last but by no means least, Corbyn makes it clear that when the time comes for him to hand on the leadership, his aspiration is for his successor to be a woman.
- This article was amended on 24 September 2016. An earlier version omitted the fact that the Scottish Labour party has a female leader. This has been corrected.
