Labour urged to revive Jez’s women-only train space plan
A FRONTBENCH ally of Jeremy Corbyn is urging Labour to hold a consultation on women-only train carriages to combat rising sex crime on services.
Mr Corbyn faced a backlash when he suggested the idea in his 2015 leadership manifesto, with critics branding it “segregation”.
But Shadow Fire Minister Chris Williamson said there was “some merit” in examining the scheme after British Transport Police reported a rise in sexual assaults. Figures show 1,448 reports in 2016-17 – up from 650 in 2012-2013. Mr Williamson said the statistics suggested people had been hasty in “pooh-poohing” Mr Corbyn’s idea. He added: “Complemented with having more guards on trains, it would be a way of combating these attacks, which have seen a very worrying increase in the past few years.”