All articles written by Harriet Harman MP on PoliticsHome.com

03 Apr Home affairs

Crime Bill Could Give Police Chiefs Power To Automatically Dismiss Officers

Police officers could have to hand over their phones if suspected of gross misconduct, and be automatically dismissed if convicted of a serious offence if changes to the government’s Criminal Justice Bill proposed by Labour MP Harriet Harman are accepted.

06 Mar Parliament

Too old, or too young? The age of our politicians shouldn’t matter

Age is now very much ‘a thing’ in US politics. Even I hold my breath when I see Joe Biden wobble up to the microphone, so I can hardly imagine what it must be like for his Democrat supporters.

05 Dec 2023 Communities

The Laura Farris interview: ‘My politics were a little more left leaning when I was young’

Following her father as Conservative MP for Newbury, new minister Laura Farris tells Tali Fraser she won’t let tribal loyalty – or anything else – stop her from working to help victims of crime. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer

29 Jun 2023 Obituaries

Tribute to Glenda Jackson

Both an extraordinary talent of stage and screen, and an outstanding and independent MP, Glenda Jackson was fearless and beholden to no-one

23 Mar 2023 Parliament

Where are they now? Dame Joan Ruddock

When Joan Ruddock became Lewisham Deptford’s Labour MP in 1987, she says she was one of only 41 female members elected to Parliament.

28 Feb 2023 Obituaries

‘A trailblazer’: Harriet Harman pays tribute to Betty Boothroyd

An outstanding parliamentarian, as the first woman speaker Betty Boothroyd broke not one but numerous glass ceilings.

12 Sep 2022 Obituaries

Harriet Harman tribute to Queen Elizabeth II: 'A stoic, unconditional supporter of her Parliament'

No one will forget where they were when they heard the news that the Queen had died. And all of we MPs have been reflecting on not just what she meant to the country but what she meant to Parliament and to our constituents over her reign of 70 years.

12 Sep 2022 Home affairs

MPs Call For Met Police Officer Who Shot Unarmed Black Man To Be Suspended

A group of London MPs are calling for the immediate suspension of the Metropolitan Police officer who fatally shot Chris Kaba, an unarmed black man in South London last week.

08 Mar 2022 Home affairs

The Harriet Harman interview: "There are some things only women MPs can do"

As a feminist, minister, leader and Mother of the House, Harriet Harman’s 40 years in Parliament have seen her fight relentlessly for change for women. In her first print interview since the sudden death of her husband Jack Dromey, the Labour MP for Camberwell and Peckham outlines her plans to take her work global, and tells Kate Proctor how she is adjusting to a ‘new reality’ without her partner of five decades. Photography by Baldo Sciacca.

07 Dec 2021 Home affairs

Senior Tory MP Claims Government Will Be "Freer Than Ever" To Unlawfully Strip Citizenship Under New Plans

David Davis has claimed the Nationality and Borders Bill is a "deeply troubling level of Government overreach" after ministers made a last minute change to the legislation.

07 Dec 2021 Home affairs

The Nationality and Borders Bill is littered with measures that will breach human rights

Parliament considers the Nationality and Borders Bill today in the shadow of the tragic deaths of 27 people who drowned as they tried to cross the Channel. Our asylum and immigration system doesn’t work. And it costs lives.

28 Oct 2021 Home affairs

We need a Speaker's Conference to address issues over MPs’ safety

We were all shocked by the dreadful killing of Sir David Amess, especially only five years after the murder of Jo Cox. There have been two different views from MPs on what we should do in the face of Sir David’s death.

30 Sep 2021 Home affairs

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick Says She Is “So Sorry” To Family Of Sarah Everard

Dame Cressida Dick has admitted the "precious bond of trust" with police has been broken following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, as she faces calls for her resignation.

29 Sep 2021 Political parties

Labour MPs Say Keir Starmer’s “Turning Point” Speech Proves The Party Is “Ready To Win”

Keir Starmer has been praised for his first in-person conference speech where he promised to deliver a “serious plan for government”.

02 Sep 2021 Home affairs

Senior Tory Warns Voter ID Plans Lack Evidence To Justify "Danger"

Exclusive: Former Cabinet minister David Davis has criticised the government’s “dangerous” voter ID plans, claiming there isn’t enough evidence of voter fraud to justify them.

24 Aug 2021 Foreign affairs

The Taliban want to silence women – we must amplify their voices

The Taliban say they will allow girls to be educated, women to work and be in politics, but there is doubt as whether they can or will keep that promise. The very least we can do is ask these women what help and support they need.

18 Jun 2021 Social affairs

The forced adoption scandal caused huge pain to thousands of teen mothers and their children – it is time for an apology and public inquiry

The right to family life is one of the most fundamental of human rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights. There could hardly be a more dreadful breach of those rights than forcibly taking a newborn baby from its mother.

19 Mar 2021 Home affairs

Criminalising street harassment and kerb crawling is a much needed first step to keep women and girls safe

Currently it’s not a criminal offence for a man in a vehicle to follow a woman or girl; call out to her, film her, try to get her into the vehicle, pester her. That is terrifying and should be an offence punishable by taking away his driving licence.

08 Mar 2021 Home affairs

The types of defence have changed, but men are still getting away with rape and murder under a misogynistic justice system

How the criminal justice system treats men who kill their wives needs a thorough review and must be modernised in line with our understanding that there can be no excuses for domestic violence.

08 Feb 2021 Health

Government must urgently change the law to end blanket ban on care home visits

People don’t forfeit their human rights when they go into care. They must not be denied the right to face-to-face visits from significant family and friends during the pandemic.

04 Feb 2021 Political parties

As we celebrate Suella Braverman’s maternity leave, we must also guarantee the rights of all new parents

Those of us who’ve had the privilege of getting to the top while having babies are honour-bound to help all women enjoy the same – starting with pay and shared parental leave

17 Dec 2020 Communities

Liz Truss is trying to set up a hierarchy of suffering and turn back the clock on 40 years of equalities progress

The only people who benefit from the argument about whether poverty, racism or sexism is worse are those who care about none of those things. As she has shown today, the minister for women and equalities is doing nothing to tackle inequality or discrimination

13 Nov 2020 Coronavirus

Excluding an MP who’s having chemo from a debate on cancer is disgraceful

The government should be listening not silencing. We must change the ludicrous system which forces MPs to choose between not speaking in Parliament and risking their health.

22 Sep 2020 Coronavirus

Confusing and inconsistent Covid rules aren’t working – changes to the Coronavirus Act are needed

The Joint Committee on Human Rights has found there is confusion over what is law and what is guidance, leaving people open to unequal levels of punishment for breaking the rules. The law needs to be much clearer going forward.

18 Jul 2020 Coronavirus

David Lammy: ‘Britain seems now prepared to get into a place where it wants to talk about structural racism’

David Lammy’s promotion to the shadow cabinet and the global explosion of Black Lives Matter has put him firmly in the spotlight as one of the most recognisable figures in British politics. The Tottenham MP and his friends and colleagues talk to Georgina Bailey about two decades in Parliament and how he finally feels he has found his ‘mojo’

16 Jun 2020 Health

The wrongful detention of young people with learning disabilities must end now

Young people with autism and/or learning disabilities are facing unjustified detention during lockdown. This is a breach of human rights.

20 May 2020 Political parties

Parliament needs to protect its own integrity

Rigorous scrutiny makes for better decisions, but the Government’s attempt to impose a Liaison Committee chair undermines the committee before it even begins

19 May 2020 Coronavirus

The public need confidence that the Contact Tracing App will protect their privacy

We need a new, bespoke law to protect the data collected using the Covid-19 Contact Tracing App

07 May 2020 Coronavirus

MPs and peers demand greater data protections before NHS coronavirus tracing app rolled out

Ministers must improve data protections in the NHS coronavirus tracing app before it is made widely available to the public, an influential group of MPs and peers have said.

28 Apr 2020 Coronavirus

Committee chairs protest Government plans to "undermine" scrutiny

Influential backbenchers have tabled an amendment to try to prevent the Government installing its own choice as chair of the powerful Liaison Committee

08 Apr 2020 Coronavirus

MPs must not allow government behind closed doors to continue

Select Committee chairs should act now and establish a Liaison Committee – whether Parliament is sitting or not

07 Apr 2020 Coronavirus

MPs urge police to reveal orders given to officers enforcing coronavirus social distancing rules

MPs and peers have urged police chiefs to spell out the orders given to officers tasked with overseeing the government's social distancing rules amid complaints of over-zealous enforcement.

03 Jan 2020

Motherly Advice: Harriet Harman's top tips for new MPs

Mother of the House, Harriet Harman, has been an MP for 37 years. She shares her advice for the newest faces in the Commons

14 Oct 2019

I have the experience and the resilience to steer the House through this turbulent time

Writing ahead of The House magazine’s Speaker Hustings, Harriet Harman says the next Speaker needs experience, resilience and "a proven track record of reform"

26 Sep 2019 Home affairs

Imprisoned mothers should not be separated from their children

A new report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights shows that children who experience a parent going to prison as a child are more likely than their peers to have future problems, writes Committee Chair Harriet Harman MP.

10 Sep 2019

John Bercow: "I hope my successor learns from my mistakes"

John Bercow talks to Harriet Harman about his ten years as Speaker, the task facing his successor and why parliamentary democracy must never be "sub-contracted to a focus group, a noisy protest or even a referendum".