Female politicians get more abuse than their male counterparts and it is important to “acknowledge that”, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The Prime Minister was speaking out after Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, said in a newspaper interview that she had been a victim of “mansplaining”.
“Mansplaining” is when a man explains something to a woman in a condescending or patronising way that assumes she knows less about the topic than he does.
Asked about the comments on the sidelines of the G20 summit of world leaders in South Africa, Sir Keir revealed he believes female MPs receive much more criticism.
He said: “I strongly believe that women in public life get much more criticism and abuse than men, and I mean that is in politics, but it’s also across a number of other areas – I’d also say [in] the media frankly.
“And I think we need to acknowledge that.
“There’s abuse and criticism of all politicians, but I’m acutely aware that women get much more abuse and criticism than men do and I think it’s about time we acknowledge that.”
Paying tribute to Ms Reeves, the Prime Minister said: “I’m really proud to have the first female Chancellor ever in however many hundreds of years, it’s been 700 or 800 I can’t remember.
Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have spoken out about the criticism
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PA
“I’m really proud that we’ve got a female chancellor who’s doing a really good job.
“And because of the decisions that she has already taken, we’ve had five million extra NHS appointments.
“We said before the election, we’d do two million extra appointments in the first year of a Labour Government, we did five million.
“We’ve had five interest rate cuts and wages have gone up more in the first 16 months of this government than they went up in the first 10 years of the last Government.
“So I’m really proud to have a female Chancellor.
“I will just say this that I strongly believe that women in public life get much more criticism and abuse than men, and I mean that is in politics, but it’s also across a number of other areas.
“I’d also say the media frankly. And I think we need to acknowledge that.
“There’s abuse and criticism of all politicians, but I’m acutely aware that women get much more abuse and criticism than men do and I think it’s about time we acknowledge that.”