‘Of course it makes me worry’: UK’s youngest MP Nadia Whittome on being a woman in parliament

Women’s charities have described the current political landscape as ‘toxic’ and ‘driving women away’. Sophie Gallagher speaks to the ‘Baby of the House’ about what it means for her

(Nadia Whittome/YouTube)

I’ve been deleting [people] on Twitter where it is appropriate,” says 23-year-old Nadia Whittome, who has been the UK’s youngest MP (earning her the nickname “Baby of the House”) for just two weeks and a day, but is already learning about what her new position will mean for her personal safety. “Of course it’s not the death and rape threats that my female colleagues have had for years, but I’m only in my third week.”

On 12 December Whittome was elected as a Labour MP, with a majority of 17,393 votes, to represent Nottingham East, the constituency where she grew up in a single-parent household. Compelled to go into politics after witnessing first hand the impact of austerity, particularly the bedroom tax, she describes the period since she decided to stand as a “whirlwind”.

“It’s a lot to get used to,” she says over the phone while on a train from Nottingham to London, where she is booked to view flats, a reminder of the upheaval her new life will involve. “I’m constantly getting lost around Westminster,” she laughs. “I tried to find the toilet the other day and ended up under a staircase.”

As well as learning the office layout, Whittome says there are more serious lessons to be learnt too – namely, personal security.

“It is the greatest honour to represent my constituency but it comes with a certain level of concern about safety,” she says. “As a young woman we are concerned about safety anyway, always walking home holding your keys in your pocket or sending friends a screenshot of your taxi journey. As an MP that is amplified.”

(Nadia Whittome/YouTube (Nadia Whittome/YouTube)

Whittome is the latest female MP to talk about safety in her role. The murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in June 2016, the conviction of Jack Renshaw for his plot to kill female MP Rosie Cooper in 2018, and the six people convicted for abuse and threats against former MP Luciana Berger are all examples of the landscape in which Whittome now finds herself.

Prior to the election, several female organisations warned of the “extremely worrying” trend of female MPs leaving politics, citing personal abuse, most frequently online, as a reason. Former Conservative MP Heidi Allen, who stood down at the election, said “nastiness and intimidation” had become commonplace.

Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, says: “We have to confront the fact that our toxic politics is driving good women MPs away. In 2019 it is still a hostile environment for women.”

The new MP felt compelled to go into politics after witnessing first hand the impact of austerity (Nadia Whittome/YouTube)

Whittome is of Punjabi descent, the first Bame MP to be elected in Nottingham, and says this heightens her concerns over personal security in her new position. “It’s not an easy time to be a woman, particularly a woman of colour. When I hear about the vast amount of abuse Diane Abbott gets, for example, of course it makes me and my family worry.”

She says when her safety induction was over she worried about whether she’d be able to go on a night out over Christmas – and decided to do it anyway. “I need to carry on as normal,” she says. But things are, of course, different now – she cannot walk down the street without being recognised, particularly as a result of extensive media coverage of her pledge to donate most of her £79k salary to charity, instead taking a total of £35k home.

Despite being concerned, and knowing her family share her worries, Whittome says women cannot be driven out of politics by fear. “As women we need to be there [in parliament], and we need to foster a culture where women and women of colour are safe.

“Currently we’ve got a prime minister who calls Muslim women letterboxes, so it’s no wonder we don’t feel safe,” says Whittome, who was a hate crime worker in Nottingham until she was elected, and saw the impact such rhetoric had on the ground.

What about a female leader for her own party, would that help women in politics? “Of course I’d like to see a woman leader but that doesn’t supersede the political debate,” she says. “Equally I’d like to see a black, Asian, minority ethnic leader but that doesn’t supersede the political debate.”

Looking to the future, Whittome says her priorities for 2020 are tackling poverty in her constituency, where almost half of children live below the poverty line, as well as tackling the climate emergency.

“I will dedicate my time in parliament to holding the government to account on that,” she says.