STORY
Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Harriet Harman as the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Women and Girls, with a brief to push forward work across Government on violence, economic opportunity and representation. Baroness Harman will report directly to the Prime Minister in an unpaid, part-time role. Downing Street said she will work with ministers across Government to help deliver policies for women and girls, including efforts to tackle violence against women and girls, improve economic opportunities and strengthen representation in public life.
The role will also involve working with women across Parliament to identify further action on misogyny and barriers to opportunity. Harman will work with the Cabinet Secretary on culture across the Civil Service and ministerial offices, with the aim of improving opportunities for women within Government and improving delivery for women more widely.
Harman, a former Labour deputy leader and Solicitor General, has long been associated with campaigns on women’s political representation, maternity rights and domestic abuse. Downing Street said that, as Solicitor General, she helped make domestic violence a Government priority, contributing to the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act and the creation of specialist domestic violence courts.