Labour's Pink Bus drew criticism before it hit the road this morning, but Labour frontbencher Gloria De Piero has hit back
Labour’s Gloria De Piero has defended the colour of the bus at the centre of her party’s Woman to Woman campaign, saying “love it or hate it, everyone’s talking about it”.
Writing exclusively for Mirror Online, the Shadow Minister for Women stepped into the row today to hit back at claims the campaign - complete with a so-called Barbie Bus - is patronising.
Ms De Piero is one of a number of top female Labour MPs who will ride in the bus as it travels across the country in an attempt to engage women in politics.
After just one day on the road, Ms De Piero said the campaign was already reaching women usually turned-off from politics.
She said: “One woman said to me, 'it’s so good to be in a room full of women discussing politics'. The reality is - it doesn't happen enough.
“The next election won't be won in Westminster. It will be won at the school gates and the workplaces of Britain.
“The voices we hear on this tour will still be ringing in the ears of the next Labour Government on the morning of May 8th. Woman to Woman every step of the way.
“The bus will be back on the road tomorrow, as it continues its tour of Britain, and yes it’s pink, hot pink – love it or hate it, everyone’s talking about it. And it’s coming to a town near you.”
Gloria De Piero - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
Today’s launch of Labour’s Woman to Woman campaign was always about doing things a bit differently. Politics still looks like an all-male show and Labour wants to change that, and the way to do this is to get out and listen to women.
First stop was ASDA in Stevenage, with Harriet Harman and Labour’s candidate Sharon Taylor for a cuppa and a chat with store manager Sally and some of her team. None of these women had ever met an MP before, but Woman to Woman’s all about changing that. Fifty year old Lynn, who works full time on the shop floor wanted to tell us about how she regularly faces the choice between heating and eating. I doubt she feels much comfort when she hears George Osborne say the economy’s fixed.
Lynne’s colleague Louise told us she has two kids in primary school but it doesn't have a breakfast or afterschool club that would allow her to work the extra hours she needs. Politics isn't delivering for these women. At one point, I asked what words or phrases came to mind when they thought about politics, and one woman said: 'stuffy old Westminster'.
That's why Labour women have today launched Woman2Woman. Over the coming weeks, Labour women will be getting out of ‘stuffy old Westminster’ to every nation and region of Britain. We’ll be talking about how a Labour government will provide working parents with 25 hours free childcare for every 3 and 4 year old, tackle the pay gap with greater pay transparency from big companies and create an NHS with Time to Care with 8,000 more doctors, 20,000 more nurses and 5,000 new homecare workers. But this is also about listening to women to make sure their voices and the issues that matter to them and their families are heard in this election and beyond.
After being greeted by over 100 Labour women supporters we talked about the priorities for a Labour government along with MPs Caroline Flint, Lucy Powell, Sharon Hodgson, Seema Malhotra and Fiona Mactaggart. One woman said to me, 'it’s so good to be in a room full of women discussing politics'. The reality is - it doesn't happen enough.
The next election won't be won in Westminster. It will be won at the school gates and the workplaces of Britain. The voices we hear on this tour will still be ringing in the ears of the next Labour Government on the morning of May 8th. Woman to Woman every step of the way.
The bus will be back on the road tomorrow, as it continues its tour of Britain, and yes it’s pink, hot pink – love it or hate it, everyone’s talking about it. And it’s coming to a town near you!
