MP recalls online abuse as she urges women to continue entering politics
Labour's Rosie Wrighting said several insults have been directed at her, such as 'Barbie' and 'stupid girl', and she is aware of 'many great women' who have not stood for Parliament because of safety concerns.
The 27-year-old's voice cracked with emotion as she spoke of how online threats 'translate to real life', including making sure no-one is following her home and worries over her drink being spiked on a night out.
Speaking during the International Women's Day debate, Ms Wrighting told the House of Commons: 'I rise today as the youngest woman in Parliament and the first woman to represent my constituency of Kettering.
'I was also raised by women – my mum, my nan and my aunt Emma.
'I am proudly a Gen Z woman. Like many others my age, I grew up on social media, I watched this series of Love Island, this weekend I'm going to see Sabrina Carpenter and I'm still shocked about Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury's break-up.
'But absolutely none of that takes away from my ability to serve my constituents.
'Being a young woman in this place has its pitfalls and I know that women MPs bear the brunt of online abuse, making ourselves read daily online comments which criticise our appearance, question our intelligence and threaten our safety.
'In a post when the election was called last year, more people asked me if I had an Only Fans account than about our manifesto pledges.
'Online I am called Barbie, I'm a stupid girl and child playing politics and many more creative things that I can't say in this House.
'I know many great women who haven't stood for Parliament because of online abuse or worrying about their safety and this House is worse off because of it.
'My message to women who are thinking about getting into politics is that there's a place for you here and we need you.'
Ms Wrighting added: 'The things I see on my screen also translate to real life.
'And when I walk back to my flat tonight, I won't have my headphones on so I can hear if someone is following me.
'And when I go out with my friends, I won't put my drink down because I am worried I might be spiked.
'When a man asks for my number on the Tube, all I'm thinking is how I can let him down gently because I'm worried how he might take it if I say no.'
Labour MP Polly Billington (East Thanet) intervened to highlight security warnings issued to candidates for Parliament.
She said: 'The advice that we got from a bunch of white men, we kind of looked at each other, us female candidates, and observed almost everything they were suggesting we did – walk in the light, don't have your headphones on, be careful where you stand on a platform – were basically the advice we'd been given by our mothers at the age of 12.'
Ms Wrighting agreed with her party colleague, adding: 'Coming into this place, it's sad to say that advice wasn't new to us and it is sadly things we've had to learn through our own experiences.'
She went on to say she is surrounded by 'many, many great colleagues, great male colleagues' in Parliament, adding: 'I know we cannot accelerate action, uplift or empower young women without also engaging young men.
'We have to be clear: we cannot tackle violence against women and girls without supporting young men at this vital point.'
Labour MP Natalie Fleet (Bolsover) earlier said rape threats 'are an accepted part of the job' for women MPs.
She said: 'If we look at the last parliament, the BBC was discussed more often than childcare. You were five times more likely to hear about fishing than you were the menopause. This historic House that women died to get us into, spent more time discussing football than rape.'
She added: 'Every single one of us has either been raped or knows somebody who has been raped. Rape is a part of our story as women, yet a part that we don't tell.
'So I want to tell you about rape and being an MP. Rape threats are an accepted part of the job.
'Thank you to the minister (Jess Phillips) for speaking up about this disgusting truth. I am the 690th woman MP so Rape Crisis estimates that a quarter of women have been raped or sexually assaulted. If we apply that data to MPs, that means 172 of us have been raped.
'Half of those 86 women MPs will have been raped more than once. Statistically, 28 of them will have reported this and if there's a miracle at the very best, on an optimistic day, there's a potential that one could have led to conviction.'
Ms Fleet further stated: 'I've spoken publicly about giving birth after being the victim of statutory rape, and I am sick of being told I am brave. I don't want to be brave. I want it to be expected that we tell our truth.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
21 minutes ago
- Metro
Readers discuss Corbyn's 'own goal', Doctor Who and gorilla costumes
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments. The most significant thing that Jeremy Corbyn's new political party (Metro, Fri) is likely to achieve is dividing Labour's extreme left vote between two camps, which will reduce Labour's overall support, and therefore help more right-wing political parties such as the Conservatives and Reform gain traction before the next General Election. This should please rather than threaten 'the rich and powerful' he has vowed to 'take on'. As a football fan, Corbyn ought to know what is meant by scoring an own goal, but perhaps he doesn't. Robert Hughes, London I don't understand the furore about 16-year-olds being allowed to vote (MetroTalk, Tue). Regardless of whichever particular party is in power, MetroTalk will be full of letters asking why people voted for them. There will always be people unhappy with the government. Instead of the Opposition childishly trying to score points against whoever is in power, the only sensible solution would be for the government to be a Coalition, made up of members from every political party, working together for the good of the people instead of for themselves. Owen, London Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. If 16-year-olds get the vote they will probably be drawn to the Lib Dems, purely because Ed Davey's stunts are social media-friendly. Why bother with politics when you could be rolling downhill, strapped to a giant Wensleydale? Tess Kamara, via email Perhaps if 16- and 17-year-olds had been allowed to vote in the referendum, we wouldn't have been subjected to the debacle that is Brexit. Roger Smith, Witham Policemen are noticeable by their absence in most towns and cities and rarely bother turning up when a crime is reported – yet a reported 5,000 officers are suddenly available to protect a convicted felon from America on his visit to Turnberry in Scotland? Martin J Phillips, Leeds I agree with Kim from Hornchurch (MetroTalk, Wed) about the grossly misjudged decision by the school that didn't allow a student to wear a Union Jack dress. However, that's not at all the same as an adult approaching a school wearing a gorilla costume. For those who think it's OK for a father to go to his child's school in a gorilla costume, I suppose it would also be OK if a parent approached a school wearing a motorcycle helmet or maybe with a clown's face painted on? It's interesting how when someone is admonished for doing something stupid and inconsiderate, they jump on to the bandwagon of calling those who disagree with their actions 'woke'. Kehinde, London The recent incident involving Chris Napthine collecting his daughter from school in a gorilla costume reminds me of the Not The Nine O'Clock News sketch where Professor Timothy Fielding is describing his early experience with Gerald the Gorilla. Fielding says, 'When I first encountered Gerald, he was completely wild.' Gerald then replies, 'Wild? I was absolutely livid! Stephen Dugdale, Sheffield In Wednesday's Metro, on page seven, there were two tragic stories of women being stabbed to death by their ex partners. One perpetrator was jailed for a minimum of 28 years and the other 15 years. Where is the consistency? Malcolm Hair, Surrey John Coyne (MetroTalk, Wed), voiced concern about Doctor Who stories not being as good as they once were. I agree. Some of the recent series have been quite weak and I have sat watching, almost willing a decent storyline to appear. More Trending Sadly, the least effective Doctor in recent times was Jodie Whittaker. I had no issue with the character being female, but Jodie was completely unsuited to the role. There are many fine female actors who could have done a far superior job. I understand that ratings have been falling and I am not surprised. If the writers don't write decent episodes and soon, then it will not be long before the series is taken off air and it may not return for some 20 years, as was the case, a few years back. Ed Lewis, Mansfield MORE: British & Irish Lions won't settle for a Test series win over Australia with an historic clean sweep on the cards MORE: Huge plumes of smoke seen for miles as 20 tonnes of tyres go up in factory inferno MORE: Thief hides 76 bottles of stolen wine in wheelie bin and flees in tuk-tuk
Reuters
21 minutes ago
- Reuters
Syria expected to hold parliamentary election in September
July 27 (Reuters) - Syria is expected to hold its first parliamentary election under the new administration in September, the head of the electoral commission told state news agency SANA on Sunday. Voting for the 210-member People's Assembly is scheduled to take place between September 15 and 20, said Mohamed Taha, who is overseeing the electoral process. President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received a draft electoral law that amends a previous decree and raises the number of seats from 150 to 210. A third of the seats will be appointed by the president. The government has pledged broad representation and said it will allow foreign observers to monitor electoral committees overseeing the vote. Officials said areas outside government control, including Kurdish-held regions in northern Syria and the Druze-majority province of Sweida, would continue to have seats allocated based on population. The new assembly is expected to lay the groundwork for a broader democratic process, which critics say currently lacks sufficient participation from minority groups. It will also be tasked with approving landmark legislation aimed at overhauling decades of state-controlled economic policies and ratifying treaties that could reshape Syria's foreign policy alliances. In March, Syria issued a constitutional declaration to guide the interim period under Sharaa's leadership. The document preserves a central role for Islamic law while guaranteeing women's rights and freedom of expression. It raised concerns of civic groups and Western nations about the concentration of power among the country's Islamist-led leadership.
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
What's stopping Keir Starmer from recognising Palestine as a state?
Sir Keir Starmer is coming under a lot of pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood. He's under pressure from 221 MPs – more than a third of all the people who sit in the House of Commons – who collectively signed a letter urging recognition. He's under pressure from Jeremy Corbyn's newly announced left-wing party, which placed alleged UK complicity in the Gaza horror at the centre of its launch, and the significant number of supporters it has attracted. And he's under pressure from top Labour figures, ranging from London Mayor Sadiq Khan to members of his own cabinet, who are pushing him on the matter both publicly and privately. Those calls have grown in the past few days, as images of starving children have been beamed around the world and French President Emmanuel Macron has announced France will formally recognise Palestine as a state. But the Prime Minister has remained firm, insisting he will only press forward at the moment when the move would have the maximum impact. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. In a statement released on Thursday night, Starmer said: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' The UK is deeply entwined in the history of the region currently occupied by Israel and Palestine. In 1916, the British claimed control of the region called Palestine amid the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the following year, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour said the UK would back a 'national home' for the Jewish people in the area. A little over three decades later, in 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of Israel. The UN admitted Israel as a member in 1949, but not Palestine. It was not until 1988 that Palestinian statehood was recognised by any UN member states, after the Palestinian National Council formally declared independence. Today, 147 of the UN's 193 member states recognise Palestine, including the vast majority of the countries in Asia, Africa and South America. The UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are among the nations that do not. In 2014, MPs in the House of Commons voted to 274 to 12 in favour of recognising Palestine as a state. But David Cameron's government responded with a line that remains familiar today – that recognition would wait until it was deemed most appropriate for the peace process. On the face of it, the British government appears to be closer than ever to announcing formal recognition of a Palestinian state. Among the high-profile cabinet members reportedly arguing in favour are Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The UK has also been closely aligning with France on the issue, as part of the E3 group of nations alongside Germany. However, both Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have insisted publicly that the move is only worth making when it would be most effective in the pursuit of peace. On Tuesday, Lammy told the BBC: 'We don't just want to recognise symbolically, we want to recognise as a way of getting to the two states that sadly many are trying to thwart at this point in time.' Labour's election manifesto last year said the party is 'committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.' More Trending The letter signed by 221 MPs, organised by Labour's Sarah Champion, said the announcement of recognition should come at a UN conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday. It said: 'British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. 'Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that Mandate.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Will there be a bank holiday and trophy parade if England win Women's Euro 2025? MORE: Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans MORE: Trump warns 'there'll be no Europe left' before immediately hitting golf course
