Labour ditches ‘barmy’ Corbyn policy of women-only carriages

JEREMY CORBYN’S proposal for women-only train carriages has been quietly ditched after shadow transport ministers decided they could never endorse the “barmy” idea, The Sunday

Telegraph can disclose. Labour MPs creating the party’s transport policy believe the idea – one of Mr Corbyn’s proposals from the leadership campaign – would not reduce assaults on women passengers. Lilian Greenwood, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, said she was “not convinced” women-only carriages were “the best way or a practical way” to stop harassment on trains.

Another Labour transport source said the “barmy” proposal was unenforceable and would never be backed by shadow ministers as party policy.

The fact that Mr Corbyn’s own transport team has effectively scrapped one

of his most-eye catching proposals during the campaign to succeed Ed Miliband is a blow to the Labour leader’s authority.

Mr Corbyn’s spokesman insisted he stands by the idea but added there are no plans to consult on it with the whole of Labour’s transport policy currently under “review”.

The revelation comes a little over two months after Mr Corbyn first floated the policy during the Labour leadership campaign when he outlined a series of proposals to tackle “street harassment”.

“Some women have raised with me that a solution to the rise in assault and harassment on public transport could be to introduce women-only carriages, a message posted on Mr Corbyn’s campaign website on August 25 read.

“My intention would be to make public transport safer for everyone from the train platform to the bus stop to on the mode of transport itself.”

The proposal triggered an immediate backlash as Labour leadership rivals and equality charities branded the idea a retrograde step that would not solve the problem.

Yvette Cooper said that “segregation to ‘keep women safe’ is turning the clock back”, Andy Burnham claimed “in this day and age we shouldn’t be even considering” the idea, while Liz Kendall called the proposal an “admission of defeat”. Anber Raz from the Equality Now campaign said the concept “hides women away”.