Ruth Clarke reports on the recent AGM of Labour Women Leading.

The Labour Women Leading AGM in December was preceded by a discussion on how women can tackle racism in the current climate.  The session began with a presentation from Sue Lukes,who has worked with migrants since the 1970s, and is now a freelance specialist in housing and migration law. She is currently part of an academic study of migrant communities’ access to services.  Between 2018 and 2022 she was a Labour councillor in Islington, where she had the community safety brief and where she helped to initiate a network of local authority migrant champions (now co-ordinated by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants).

Sue observed that under the Tories, hostility towards migrants increased; but Labour was also found lacking.  Ten years ago, Labour was the natural place for migrants, but this is no longer the case. The current Party leadership believe that voters want security and, mimicking the attack lines of the far right, that this means securing our borders.  In the summer riots, the most insecure people were the migrants, and the new government should focus on addressing the real issues that make voters insecure (inadequate housing, poor employment practices, etc.).

In the recent US elections, 48% of Latino men under 40 and 32% of Latino women voted for Trump.  Even the views of people previously on the left are changing. How should socialists respond to those who define working class in cultural and not economic terms?  We need to listen, to be flexible and to engage with people where they are.  There is much that can be done at local level.  Local councils can establish structures to support migrants; for instance Bologna is working to house migrants despite the rhetoric of the far right Italian government.  In the UK, the City of Sanctuary movement is building networks of councils, universities and community groups to support people seeking refuge.  The migrant champions programme brings together local councillors to champion the rights of migrants in their areas and beyond.

Current issues that we should challenge include: a) the introduction of eVisas, which disadvantage people without access to the internet; the exploitation of care workers from abroad  -Unison is campaigning on this; the private provision of (unsafe and unhealthy) hotel places for asylum seekers; and inadequate move-on support for those who are granted refugee status.

Bell Ribeiro Addy, a Member of Parliament since 2019, currently represents the new constituency of Clapham & Brixton Hill.  She served briefly as Shadow Minister for Immigration in 2020, and she currently chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan Reparations.  She thinks that women can play a vital role in dismantling and addressing intersecting areas of oppression.  For instance, Black women are more likely to die in childbirth or to be ignored when they complain.  Bell has chaired the APPG on Black Maternal Health since 2021, campaigning for improved data, training and funding for culturally tailored services.  There is evidence too that the police profile black women as unworthy of support, and that reports of domestic violence are disregarded. 

Since the murder of her daughters in 2020, Mina Smallman has campaigned with enormous dignity and helped to change attitudes and practices in the Met.  In workplaces, women from ethnic minorities tend to be concentrated in low-status, low-paid jobs; and sisters in trade unions continue to challenge discrimination.  In education, black pupils are more likely to face exclusion from school, while barriers to higher education persist for black students.  Black and white women are stronger when they work together to fight misogyny, racism and other oppressions.

Bell concluded by insisting that the Equality Act 2010 should be applied to all legislation.  Black women need better representation; communities need better support; and there needs to be improved advocacy and accountability, supported by the collection of data.  Finally, Bell paid tribute to Diane Abbott, the Mother of the House, for her courageous and steadfast campaigning over many decades for equality and justice.

Aisha Malik-Smith, a Labour councillor in Lewisham, campaigns on issues such as housing, mental health and social care.  An active trade unionist, she currently serves as Unite’s London & Eastern Women’s & Equalities Officer (though at this meeting she spoke in a personal capacity).  Aisha noted that three Reform MPs were elected in East Anglia, and there have been protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers. Union members have responded by working with food justice groups and running political education campaigns in football grounds to bring people together. 

People have legitimate concerns about inadequate infrastructure and resources but this is the fault of the Tories, not migrants.  Sadly a group of Labour MPs, the so-called Red Wall caucus, are warning the leadership that they risk losing their seats to Reform if the Party fails to be tough on immigration.  Unite’s response is that concerns about immigration need to be addressed from the bottom up, by talking to people in workplaces, canteens, etc.  CLPs could also take this approach.

Other contributors agreed that, although it is alarming that some trade unionists share views with Reform, we need to understand where they are coming from and provide opportunities for debate.  In the US, the Trump campaign cleverly appealed to second generation migrants, whipping up their opposition to newcomers – something we need to head off here in the UK.  There are still concerns about policing.  For instance the recent heavy-handed raid by counter-terrorism police on the Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey, North London, created fear and anger amongst members of Kurdish communities across the capital.  The police also tend to engender the perception that women are more at risk from migrant men than from white men.  Concern was expressed about the recording of hate crime against black and minority ethnic women, and especially those with disabilities.

One trade union activist suggested that the issues faced by migrant communities should be highlighted when campaigning for improved public services; for instance migrants seeking healthcare may be asked to prove their status.  Stand Up to Racism defended asylum hotels during the summer riots, but we need to remain vigilant and ensure that migrants remain safe on an ongoing basis.  Another sister, who has been heartened by the generosity of donations for Care4Calais, observed that affordable legal advice is unobtainable for many; legal aid has been cut and law centres are overwhelmed.  She added that, in a hardening of the government’s immigration stance, over 600 Brazilian nationals were quietly deported in a series of secret flights in August/September 2024.  She nevertheless believes that the trade unions, and also socialists and feminists, have a huge role to play in supporting asylum seekers, Windrush campaigners, and those affected by the change to eVisas.

Aisha Malik-Smith concluded by reporting that her region of Unite have recently formed an anti-racism task force, which is mapping areas and workplaces in need of help, such as the buses and the Ford Dagenham factory.  To address ingrained racism, they plan to mobilise in the streets with the aim of making groups like the newly-formed Turning Point UK appear unpatriotic.  They also plan to engage with more open-minded individuals, in person and via social media, to highlight the flaws in racist thinking.

International solidarity is vital at a time when conflict and climate change are producing increasing numbers of refugees.  We need to oppose the myth that women are more at risk from immigrant men, or that black claimants are less deserving of benefits.  Unite has a confidential list of asylum hotels, and has been bringing local union branches together to challenge racist rhetoric and offer support.

Sue Lukes added that we need to insist that politicians be better, challenging racism and creating a more welcoming environment, as Pedro Sánchez has done in Spain.  It seems strange that there has been no UK refugee programme for Palestinians.  At a local level, we need to ensure that migrants can access services without unnecessary status checks.  We need to encourage councils to divest their pension funds from institutions that collude with racist regimes.  Local authorities need to understand and engage with their communities and speak out against heavy-handed treatment.

Finally, Labour Women Leading’s chairnoted that times are not easy for the Labour left, with seven MPs suspended for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap.  Even so, there have been small victories, with three left women re-elected by CLPs to the National Executive Committee.  LWL will continue, with relatively limited resources, to campaign on matters of importance to socialist feminists.  Within Labour we shall continue to press for democratic equalities structures, including a two-day standalone annual Women’s Conference.  There is much to do, and in hard times much to be gained by working with others in broad alliances.

Ruth Clarke is Secretary of Labour Women Leading. To get in contact, email laourwomenleading@gmail.com

Image: Migrants welcome here GJN banner. Author: Global Justice Now, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.