Iain Dale’s All Talk series invites politicians and public figures to the Edinburgh Fringe to
answer topical questions on pressing issues. This time Iain Dale talks to Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls.
Iain Dale himself is unable to host due to illness, so his colleague and fellow LBC host Matthew Stadlen stepped into his place. Stadlen is a reasonable host and allows Phillips to take her time with her answers. The questions are designed to probe the politician on controversial topics, but at no point does it feel argumentative.
Dominating the conversation is of course the ongoing struggle to tackle the endemic violence against women and girls that can be seen all across the country. Phillips stresses the need for the implementation of rigid policies that address the issue that cannot be undone and draws attention to the lack of mental health services for trauma victims. ‘It has to matter as much as terrorism’, she tells the audience. It is abundantly clear that this is a politician who is unequivocally committed to the issue she speaks for, and she comes armed with data to support her impassioned arguments, such as the National Policing Statement for VAWG, which reported in June that at least 1 in 12 women are victims of violence every year. It is a sobering discussion, but an important and compelling one. Phillips certainly does not beat around the bush in painting a grim picture of the situation, but she nonetheless conjures a fragment of hope in her determination to change things for the better.
The conversation takes a lighter tone as Phillips is asked to offer her thoughts on X and its CEO Elon Musk in the wake of his attacks against Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the social media platform. She navigates this cautiously, frankly, admitting that X has become ‘a place of misery’ but when pressed by Stadlen, claiming that it would be ‘too dramatic’ to encourage people to leave the site. Instead, she advocates for setting boundaries with the platform such as taking the app off one’s phone, a comment that is situated more broadly in her previous voicing of concerns about the effect of social media particularly on young men. She admits to the somewhat hopeless task of regulating online activity, but asserts that it is still worth trying, citing online influences as a fundamental cause of violence against women and girls, as well as the recent far-right riots taking place across the UK.
Phillips is a serious politician with serious goals, but she proves that popularity comes from humour and relatability. Her willingness to share a personal anecdote or poke fun at politics from within are highly personable qualities. She makes a fascinating listen, regardless of whether you agree with her politics or not. It is refreshing to hear from someone so unapologetically passionate.
Image via Pleasance Press Office