Women for Women: Labour’s Bridget Phillipson and Anneliese Dodds

Parliament’s current statistical makeup shows women forming roughly 40.5% of MPs, exact figures differing form party to party. Although accounting for a small portion of parliamentary seats, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru present the highest percentage of elected female MPs; on the other end of the scale sits Reform UK, who remain without any female MPs. Labour, reaching near equal distribution in their male and female held positions, offer a refreshing composition when compared with their Tory counterparts, whose female population stands at 24%. At the Labour leader’s side are Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, two women often spotlighted in the media.

Less notorious, though, are the cabinet’s Ministers for Women and Equality, Bridget Phillipson and Anneliese Dodds. Where the job was previously considered a ‘bolt-on’ position within parliament, it is now given the special attention of Phillipson and Dodds, whose respective Secretary posts provide a valuable intersection, promising the betterment of women’s issues.

Born in Gateshead and raised in a Washington council house by her single mother, Bridget Phillipson avidly advocates the cruciality of effective and accessible education in modern Britain. Prior to her political career, Phillipson worked as director of Wearside Women in Need, a Sunderland charity providing refuge for domestic violence survivors. With a degree from Oxford University, Phillipson went on to become Kier Starmer’s Shadow Chief Secretary of the Treasury, a position she held under the guidance of her now close colleague Anneliese Dodds.

Dodds, born in Aberdeen, also attended Oxford University, where – as a passionate activist – she notably protested against the introduction of tuition fees and well as for the furthering of LGBT rights. In 2020, Dodds was appointed as the first female Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Now both Ministers for Women and Equality, Phillipson and Dodds work hand in hand with the Women and Equality Committee to deliver the promises of Labour’s general election manifesto. Since their promotion in July 2024, they have replaced the previous Tory government’s ‘Equality Hub’ with the Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO), a change they made to centralise the government’s focus on establishing equality. Through the OEO, Phillipson and Dodds have introduced a new legislation which requires employers to have what Dodds describes as a ‘preventative duty’ to protect their employees from sexual harassment and create a safe working environment. The OEO’s definition of harassment makes no exceptions for ‘banter’, an often-accepted excuse used to minimise the harassment. Extensively outlining ‘unwanted conduct’ and providing specific scenario examples, this new legislation addresses a prevalent female issue.

During their most recent meeting with the Women and Equality Committee meeting, Dodds and Phillipson set out their government’s commitment to women. Enthusiastic to reduce rates of violence against women and girls, Dodds believes in being thorough by scrutinising instances and forming preventative strategies informed by local authorities as well as successful foreign legislation. Taking a more statistical approach, Phillipson calls attention to the Office of National Statistics in her promise to deliver more productive and accommodating childcare which empowers mothers to work whilst also enriching their child’s development. Both Dodds and Phillipson emphasise the importance of women’s gynaecological health, broaching issues like endometriosis and miscarriage bereavement as well as pledging to make information on women’s health more rigorous and accessible.

Together, Phillipson and Dodds are seemingly a duo to be reckoned with in their commitment to women.