Badenoch Sparks Backlash Over "Handmaidens" Swipe at Burnham's Female Allies as Labour Eyes No. 10 in Weeks
Updated
Updated · HuffPost UK · Jun 29
Badenoch Sparks Backlash Over "Handmaidens" Swipe at Burnham's Female Allies as Labour Eyes No. 10 in Weeks
3 articles · Updated · HuffPost UK · Jun 29
Summary
At a Monday press conference, Kemi Badenoch drew criticism after calling women around Andy Burnham his “handmaidens” and “window dressing” as Labour prepares to elevate him to replace Keir Starmer.
Badenoch used the attack to argue Labour was again passing over a woman for the top job, mocking claims Burnham could be the party’s first female leader “in all but sex.”
Labour figures hit back quickly: Burnham ally Anneliese Midgley posted “Stay classy, Kemi,” while a female Labour source said Badenoch was implying senior women were there to be exploited by men.
The row lands as Burnham — the Makerfield MP and only formal contender so far — is widely expected to enter No. 10 within weeks, with women likely to be given senior roles to offset Labour’s lack of a female leader.
Badenoch also widened her offensive by likening Ed Miliband to Nigerian military dictators and warning of a “summer of chaos,” underscoring how the looming Labour succession is already hardening party lines.