Opinion: Labour Questions Reform on Women—But What About Its Own Record?
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Labour Talks Tough on Women’s Rights & Womens Role in local Politics—But Its Past Tells Another Story
16th April 2026
The Hartlepool Labour Group took to social media this week to ask whether Reform “has a problem with women.”
Quite a bold question: But for many in Hartlepool, it also feels like a huge case of political amnesia for the left wing political group that in just weeks could see its hold on Hartlepool Borough Council lost to its political foe's Reform UK.
However, before pointing the finger elsewhere, Labour should take a long hard look at its own record—right here in Hartlepool before lecturing other political parties over how many women are standing in the elections..
The Mike Hill Scandal
You see, its impossible to talk about Labour and women in Hartlepool without mentioning Hartlepool's former MP Mike Hill.
Hill resigned from Parliament in 2021 after details emerged of a sexual harassment and victimisation case brought by a former staff member. The case didn’t just quietly disappear—it went all the way to an employment tribunal, where those serious allegations were tested & uncovered some embarrassing revelations on the former MP's part. Yet years later, one uncomfortable fact remains: the victim is still reportedly waiting for her compensation.
For a party now presenting itself as a defender of women’s rights & drumming for more women to come forward into local politics, that unresolved outcome raises a number of serious questions.
Where was the urgency then?
Where was the accountability?
And crucially—where was the support when it actually mattered?
Councillor Scandal Adds to Concerns
Then there's the case of Steve Wallace, a former Labour councillor in Hartlepool.
Initially charged with sexual assault just weeks after being elected in Hartlepool, the case was later reduced to common assault at a hearing at a court outside of the Teesside area for fear he wouldn't get a fair trial. Regardless of the legal outcome, the situation ended with Wallace who was left having to serve the rest of his elected term as an independent resigning from the council in disgrace.
Again, this didn’t happen in Westminster—it happened right here, in Hartlepool.
And again, it raises the same uncomfortable question: is Labour really in a position to lecture anyone else ?
Labour’s latest messaging paints itself as the party of respect, rights, and representation for women. But credibility in politics isn’t built on slogans—it’s built on actions, accountability, and consistency & the way your party conducted itself in the past.
When serious allegations have emerged within their own ranks locally over the years, many voters will rightly ask whether Labour showed the same energy in addressing those issues as it now does in criticising others, especially those like Jonathan Brash, who seems to be very silent on the issue of Mike Hill, despite being heavily involved in the Labour Party around the time the incidents were said to have occurred.
This isn’t about defending one party over another. It’s about calling out political hypocrisy wherever it appears & with just weeks to go before the local elections are held in Hartlepool, Labour does appear to be scraping the barrel for political points scoring which in turn is merely backfiring into the spotlight being drawn upon its own political record.
If Labour wants to raise concerns about others, it must first answer for its own history.
Because in politics, as Mr Brash seemingly tries to forget, you don’t get to rewrite the past .
You have to answer for it.
