Labour leadership contest 'sexist', say hopefuls

Sexism has played a role in Labour's leadership contest, hopefuls Jeremy Corbyn and Liz Kendall have said.

In a Mumsnet discussion, left-wing MP Mr Corbyn criticised the personal "abuse" of candidates.

And Ms Kendall said the campaign had "a bit [of a] 1970s... or even 1950s" feel, saying women should be judged by their ideas, not their family life.

Her campaign has previously criticised a Labour MP's decision to back Yvette Cooper because she is a "working mum".

Helen Goodman, in an article for the Huffington Post, had said Ms Cooper, who has three children, "understands the pressures on modern family life".

Ms Kendall's campaign chief, Toby Perkins, said her comments suggested a "paucity of intellectual argument", while Labour MP John Woodcock suggested such an argument would not be made about a man.

Andy Burnham is the other candidate in the leadership contest to succeed Ed Miliband.

During an online discussion with Mumsnet users on Tuesday, Mr Corbyn and Ms Kendall were asked whether they thought sexism had featured in the campaign.

Mr Corbyn replied: "Yes I do and I think people should be judged on the policies they're enunciating and not on levels of bad attitudes or abuse that are heaped upon them by anybody else and some of our popular media.

"Actually, I don't do personal, I'm more interested in ideas and politics."

And Ms Kendall said: "Yep, sometimes it has felt a bit 1970s... or even 1950s!

"I'm a feminist - I believe women should be judged by their ideas, their values, and what they have to contribute... not by what they wear, what they look like, or their family situation or relationships.

"We have a painfully long way to go before that's the case..."

Ms Kendall, who is currently fourth in the race, has rejected calls to stand aside and back another candidate to defeat current front-runner Mr Corbyn, saying she will "fight to the very end".

She also criticised comments in The Times by shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer - a supporter of Mr Burnham's - who said neither she nor Ms Cooper would be able to unite the party to steer it through the "challenging" years ahead.

And Ms Cooper, who has endorsed Ms Kendall staying in the contest, said the campaign had been "startlingly retro".

She told the Guardian: "Andy's campaign seem to be calling for Liz and I to bow out and leave it to the boys, or suggesting that somehow women aren't strong enough to do the top jobs.

"Liz has been asked about her weight, I've been asked (on [BBC Radio 4's] Woman's Hour of all places) about whether I can possibly do this job because of my husband, and any talk about me being a working mum has been used as a sexist way to divide Liz and I and criticise Liz for not having children."

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour earlier in the day, Mr Corbyn said he was "embarrassed" and had a "bit of a chuckle" when he was told there had been an online discussion on Mumsnet about him being "sexy".

The left-winger published his women's manifesto on Tuesday, promising universal free childcare, mandatory gender pay audits and to challenge everyday sexism.

The Islington North MP pledges that half of his shadow cabinet would be women if he were elected Labour leader.

He would also work towards 50% of the party's MPs being women, it says.

Mr Corbyn is also calling for universal free childcare, which he told Woman's Hour would be paid for by general taxation.

"Early years socialisation of children is very, very important. It's good for the children and it's good for the families," he said.

Companies would be required to publish equal pay audits as a step towards ending the gender gap in wages, under Mr Corbyn's plans.

"It's about a cultural change, its about attitudes as much as anything else," he said.

The left-wing MP rejected accusations that he would destroy Labour's electoral chances if he were to become the party's new leader.

It comes after a poll for the Independent suggested three quarters of people think the party is less electable than at the general election, when Labour suffered heavy losses, and with senior Labour figures warning against a "lurch to the left".

Mr Corbyn said his campaign had attracted the support of many young people who think "there needs to be a challenge to the cross-party agreement... on variations of austerity in the general election".

"Young people are excited by this, isn't that a good thing?" he said, adding that his campaign had not "grown out of the ether and hot air".

On the personal abuse directed at him, Mr Corbyn said it was a matter for those people but he said he would "never indulge in any degree of personal abuse towards anybody".

He did criticise some of coverage of the contest, however, saying: "It's very sad that some sections of the media are incapable of engaging in any of this at political level and engage in it solely at a level of personal intrusion and personal abuse.

"Does it hurt those around me? Yes, it does."