Labour rift over women-only rail carriages

A LABOUR frontbencher faced a backlash yesterday after reviving Jeremy Corbyn’s idea of women-only train carriages.

Shadow fire spokesman Chris Williamson said it would offer ‘a safe space’ after a rise in sex offences on the rail network.

But his comments sparked fury from female politicians within his own party.

Birmingham MP Jess Phillips tweeted: ‘If you take your feminist cues from Saudi Arabia, you’ve gone wrong.’ Labour MP Stella Creasy posted: ‘Can we make all carriages safe for all passengers rather than restricting where we can go?’

‘Doesn’t keep women safe to restrict their movements – it normalises attacks. We need to be clear they [the attackers] are problem, not women’s seating plans.’ Mick Whelan, general secretary of drivers’ union Aslef, said: ‘We don’t want gender apartheid on Britain’s railways.’

The idea was first suggested by Mr Corbyn during his 2015 leadership bid, but it was dropped following an outcry from prominent female Labour MPs including Yvette Cooper.

Some 1,448 sex offences were reported on railways in 2016/17, compared with 650 incidents in 2012/2013, British Transport Police figures show.