Reform’s ‘Women and Motherhood Protection Act’ branded “shameless and deceptive” attempt to distract from party’s ‘sexist’ policies

The Trades Union Congress and MPs have accused Reform UK of trying to distract from its ‘sexist’ policies and candidates, with its announcement of a new ‘Women and Motherhood Protection Act’.

Despite having vowed to scrap the Equality Act and the Employment Rights Act, Reform has said that if it wins power, it will introduce new legislation to protect women through pregnancy and motherhood.

Reform says the law would give women “explicit breastfeeding rights”, new leave rights for miscarriage and stillbirths, and extend the deadline for pregnancy and maternity discrimination claims from three to 12 months. 

It would also keep equal pay laws, which are already in the Equality Act, and keep protections against sex discrimination, which have been in place for half a century.

The TUC said it was “galling” for Reform to expect “women to be grateful for these reductions in their rights”.

On Good Morning Britain this morning, Reform’s Suella Braverman was quizzed over Nigel Farage’s previous comments describing maternity leave as “lunacy”. 

Braverman claimed: “I don’t actually remember him saying that.”

Last year, Farage also said that self-proclaimed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate is “an important voice for men”. 

He has also defended a series of misogynistic remarks by Reform’s Makerfield by-election candidate, Robert Kenyon, claiming “they’re the kind of comments you’ll hear in every pub in the country every evening”. 

Responding to Reform’s announcement, Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said: “Let’s call this out for what it is – a smokescreen for slashing women’s rights and making life harder for families. It’s shameless and deceptive. 

“If Reform was really on the side of women, the party wouldn’t have pledged to rip up the Equality Act, effectively legalising discrimination. 

“They wouldn’t have vowed to repeal new rights being introduced by the Employment Rights Act, like protection from harassment. 

“And they wouldn’t have shrugged off blatant misogyny from their own candidate as just laddish banter.

“Equating women’s success with motherhood is patronising, antiquated and plain wrong. 

“All women – whether mums or not – are at risk from a Reform government that wants to turn the clock back. The party can never be trusted on women’s rights.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage has spent years arguing women don’t need the protections and rights we fought for. From their leader praising Andrew Tate, to running a self-professed sexist as a candidate, Reform prove time and again they have a problem with women”.

Luke Charters, the Labour MP for York Outer, wrote on X: “The “Women and Motherhood Protection Act” from a party with a candidate who allegedly said women have abortions for “vanity purposes”?

“And a councillor who reportedly said ‘some women should never have left the kitchen?’ Seriously?”.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward