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EU referendum campaign 'quite male dominated', says minister Suffragettes' efforts undermined by EU - Priti Patel
(about 1 hour later)
The debate on the UK's future in the EU ahead of the upcoming in-out referendum has been "quite male dominated", energy minister Andrea Leadsom has said. Suffragettes fought to get women the vote but these rights are being eroded because of the UK's EU membership, minister Priti Patel has said.
Mrs Leadsom, who is campaigning for an EU exit, said women did not want to hear the views of only men. At the launch of pro-EU exit group Women for Britain, she likened the Leave campaign to that of suffragettes.
Meanwhile, employment minister Priti Patel likened the Leave campaign to the suffragettes' battle for voting rights. She said those campaigning to quit the EU were fighting the "same cause" to protect "our democratic freedom".
She was speaking at the pro-exit Women for Britain launch, which aims to encourage women to vote in the poll. Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, said the comparison was "unacceptable".
The campaign group, which includes other female political figures and women from the world of business, says that the power of women's vote is undermined by being in the EU. "I believe that my great grandmother would have been the first to champion what the EU has meant for women - including equal pay and anti discrimination laws," she said.
The equivalent group trying to target women voters on the Remain side is Women In, which says the benefits of being in the EU "clearly outweigh the costs" and that leaving would "take risks" with the UK's future. The cross-party Women for Britain campaign, aims to encourage women to vote to leave the EU in the referendum on 23 June.
The group, which includes female political figures and women from the world of business, says the power of women's votes is undermined by being in the EU.
But the equivalent group trying to target women voters on the Remain side, Women In, says the benefits of being in the EU "clearly outweigh the costs".
In a video from the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign group, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: "From safeguarding parental leave to tackling discrimination in the workplace and bringing an end to violence against women and girls, our EU membership is critical in helping protect and further the rights of women around Britain. A vote to leave would put all of this at risk."In a video from the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign group, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: "From safeguarding parental leave to tackling discrimination in the workplace and bringing an end to violence against women and girls, our EU membership is critical in helping protect and further the rights of women around Britain. A vote to leave would put all of this at risk."
Mrs Leadsom told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The point about launching Women for Britain reflects the fact that women are often interested in hearing all views and not just the views of men. 'Empower women'
"I think it has been quite male dominated," she said, adding: "It's important that everybody gets to hear female views of what's important." At Tuesday's launch, employment minister Ms Patel said: "In many ways, Women for Britain are fighting for exactly the same cause. The suffragettes fought for our democratic freedom. Now we are the ones who must fight to protect it.
'Surrendered sovereignty' "Pankhurst and the suffragettes did not fight to have the right to vote on who governs them only to then see those decisions squandered to the EU's undemocratic institutions and political elite."
And UKIP's Suzanne Evans, also on the campaign's board, said EU law "takes precedence" over UK law so the institution was undermining the suffragettes' sacrifices by "taking our vote away by stealth".
Ms Patel argued that leaving the EU would "enhance our democracy and empower women" - and attacked the Remain campaign's claims that women's rights would be at risk if the UK left the EU.
She said the UK had been a world leader in promoting women's rights and opportunities, noting that it outlawed female genital mutilation in 1985 compared with 2012 in the EU.
She also said that quitting the EU would allow the UK to scrap the EU-imposed VAT on sanitary products and pave the way for cheaper car insurance, saying EU equality laws meant women could not be charged lower premiums. The UK's financial contributions to the EU could be spent on health and education, she added.
'Out of line'
Ms Patel said polls suggested 25% of women were undecided about which way to vote - more than double the number of men, and that females were regarded as more "risk averse". But she argued that the riskier option was for the UK to remain in the EU, as its destiny would be left in the hands of "faceless, unelected bureaucrats".
But Helen Pankhurst, the great granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst took issue with Ms Patel's comments about the suffragettes.
She said: "My great-grandmother fought tirelessly for womens' rights and dedicated her life to making sure women could live their lives free from discrimination.
"It is unacceptable to use her achievements to argue for something that is so out of line with the spirit of international solidarity that defined the suffragette movement."
Earlier, energy minister Andrea Leadsom told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was important for women's voices to be heard in the EU referendum campaign saying the debate so far had been "quite male dominated".
The energy minister said the UK had "surrendered its sovereignty" to the EU, saying 60% of UK laws and regulations were made in Brussels.
She said women cared about issues such as the cost of living, the cost of the UK's EU membership and future prospects for themselves and their children - and argued that life outside the EU for "many people", including women, would be "much better".She said women cared about issues such as the cost of living, the cost of the UK's EU membership and future prospects for themselves and their children - and argued that life outside the EU for "many people", including women, would be "much better".
The energy minister said the UK had surrendered its sovereignty to the EU, saying 60% of UK laws and regulations were made in Brussels. "So it's absolutely not the case that the rights of women or equal opportunities would diminish in the UK if it left the EU," told Today.
Moreover, 60% of the UK's workforce was employed by small and medium sized business which were all subject to "expensive" EU regulations, she told Today.
"So yes, we have surrendered our democratic sovereignty to the European Union."
Ms Leadsom insisted women's rights and opportunities would not diminish outside the EU, if the UK voted to leave the bloc.
She said Britain had a "very good record" in this area, noting that it had "unilaterally" introduced shared parental leave. It was also a world leader in efforts to ensure equal pay for women, she said.
"So it's absolutely not the case that the rights of women or equal opportunities would diminish in the UK if it left the EU," she added.
In her speech at the Women for Britain campaign launch, Ms Patel said the UK did not need the EU to protect women's rights and that claims otherwise were "misleading".
She said the campaign to leave the EU was like the suffragettes' fight for the right of women to vote, arguing that an EU exit would "enhance our democracy and empower women in this country".
"In many ways, Women for Britain are fighting for the same cause. The suffragettes fought for our democratic freedom. Now we are the ones who must fight to protect it," she said - and warned that remaining in the EU would hold women back.