Reform have been accused of using “shameless” distraction tactics by announcing a ‘Women and Motherhood Protection Act.’
This week, Reform – the party that has vowed to scrap to scrap the Equality Act and the Employment Rights Act – decided to unveil new legislation to protect women through pregnancy and motherhood.
The party has said the bill would give women “explicit breastfeeding rights”, new leave rights for miscarriage and stillbirths, and extend the deadline for pregnancy and maternity discrimination claims from three to 12 months.
It would also keep equal pay laws, which are already in place thanks to the Equality Act Reform are so desperate to scrap, and keep protections against sex discrimination, which have been in place for 50 years.
Of course, the announcement of the bill also comes after weeks of Reform having to address accusations of sexist comments and social media posts from their Makerfield by-election candidate Robert Kenyon.
This has included crude remarks about Carol Vorderman and comments saying women only have abortions for “vanity purposes.”
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As a result, the bill’s unveiling has stuck in the throat of some, who see it as nothing more than a superficial gesture to distract from the women’s rights that will be taken away through the scrapping of the Equality Act.
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said Reform’s measures were “shameless and deceptive,” labelling the bill nothing more than a “smokescreen for slashing women’s rights and making life harder for families.”
He said: “If Reform was really on the side of women, the party wouldn’t have pledged to rip up the Equality Act, effectively legalising discrimination.
“They wouldn’t have vowed to repeal new rights being introduced by the Employment Rights Act, like protection from harassment.
“And they wouldn’t have shrugged off blatant misogyny from their own candidate as just laddish banter.
“Equating women’s success with motherhood is patronising, antiquated and plain wrong.
“All women – whether mums or not – are at risk from a Reform government that wants to turn the clock back. The party can never be trusted on women’s rights.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage has spent years arguing women don’t need the protections and rights we fought for. From their leader praising Andrew Tate, to running a self-professed sexist as a candidate, Reform prove time and again they have a problem with women”.
Luke Charters, the Labour MP for York Outer, wrote on X: “The ‘Women and Motherhood Protection Act’ from a party with a candidate who allegedly said women have abortions for “vanity purposes”?
“And a councillor who reportedly said ‘some women should never have left the kitchen?’ Seriously?”.