We have just hit our Crowdfunder target! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who supported us.
We know that it’s no small thing to give at this moment, and we’re humbled that so many chose to support us. Your contributions mean we can keep pushing forward at this crucial time. Thank you.
It’s time for some radical honesty. The Women’s Equality Party is fighting for survival, and we need you to help fund its future.
Organisations urgently seeking to raise money often tell comforting tales. A small donation, they say, will buy the certainty of a better future. We’d have liked to do the same.
But from the beginning, we pledged to do politics differently and that means being honest with you.
The truth is that the situation for women right now is dire. The climate crisis, the cost of living crisis, collapsing services, a broken justice system and direct attacks on our human rights are threatening our lives and our futures.
The Women’s Equality Party has never been more needed, but it is precisely these interlocking crises that make our survival uncertain. Costs are rising, and as the crisis hits women’s income we are seeing a direct impact on donations and memberships. We understand and we also understand that this situation is going to get worse over the weeks and months ahead.
Which is why we need your help to keep fighting for equality.
The party was created in 2015 with a simple goal: to force political change. We use the electoral system to make progress towards equality. Every vote we win shows the old parties that equality matters, and forces them to become more like us in order to neutralise us. They steal our policies, stand women against us and repeat our messages, which means that wherever we stand we win.
Ending harassment and abuse in Westminster
Five years ago we set out to make it untenable for MPs who harass and abuse people to stay in power. We campaigned with women across the political spectrum for a proper independent complaints process. Formed a blockade to stop an abusive MP being selected. In the 2019 General Election, we stood survivors against five MPs facing allegations of harassment or abuse, including one who was on bail for sexual assault. Not one of the MPs we challenged returned to Westminster (which other party has achieved a clean sweep in an election?). We made it so that MPs found guilty could be sacked by their constituents.
At the start of the campaign we had to fight to get anyone in Parliament to care. Five years on, sexual harassment created political storm big enough to bring down Boris Johnson’s Government.
No one else was doing this work through the electoral system, and none of the old parties took it seriously until they saw that it cost them votes and seats.
In just a few short years our movement has been instrumental in delivering:
Home use of abortion pills
A successful campaign for the right to take abortion pills at home - preventing women attending unnecessary appointments, and from being forced to travel whilst miscarrying.
Recall for MPs who harass or abuse women
Meaning that MPs who are found guilty of harassment or abuse can now be fired by a vote of their constituents.
COVID vaccines for breastfeeding women
In the early stages of vaccine roll out, breastfeeding women were denied access to vaccinations in the UK. We worked with parents, medical organisations, and activists to ensure that women were able to make an informed choice.
Violence against women as a national threat
Requiring the Home Office to prioritise ending violence against women and girls on a par with terrorism and serious organised crime in policing.
Covid 19 vaccine for Disabled people
Our open letter reached over 170,000 people and ultimately helped to ensure that learning Disabled people were given priority access to the Covid 19 vaccine.
Challenging the government’s dangerous Brexit deal
We tabled an amendment to the Article 50 bill to prevent the government from being able to sign away equalities and employment rights without Parliament’s approval. It received the most cross-party support.
An inquiry into misogyny in policing
Following high profile revelations that showed the scale of police perpetrated abuse, we projected women’s stories onto Parliament, erected fake police appeal boards and delivered rotten apples to New Scotland Yard. The Met Commissioner was forced to resign and an inquiry was established.
Making the case for investment in care
One of the party’s top priorities is free universal childcare, from the end of parental leave until school age. Since we started campaigning on this, every single political party has increased their offer on childcare.
Why give to us?
We know that this is a difficult time, and that it’s hard to prioritise giving to a political movement at a moment when so many are struggling for basic necessities. But unless we fight back, we will never change the system that created this crisis, and that ensured women are on the front lines of it.
There has never been a more urgent need for a Women’s Equality Party.
The party has never been well funded and has always operated on a shoestring, kept afloat not by the donations from the super-rich seeking to buy influence but from membership fees.
In the coming months, this model will not be enough to sustain our work. Please help if you can, and spread this message.
Kay Wesley - What a WEP representative can do
In only 3 years, Kay Wesley, has had a huge impact in Congleton.
So far she has:
- Secured funding for a domestic abuse monthly clinic and created a domestic abuse hub in Congleton.
- Worked with local parents and childcare providers to improve childcare provision and information as well as working to make the council a beacon of childcare best practice.
- Ensured that domestic abuse and sexual violence figures are reported every month at council meetings.
- Wrote a new Equality and Inclusion Policy for the council, which was unanimously adopted – this policy pushes equality beyond the legal minimum and includes those with caring responsibilities and differing socio-economic status.
- Ensured Congleton received White Ribbon Accreditation - ensuring that the town is committed to stamping out male violence against women.
- Ensured that the council business plan now has equality, diversity, and inclusion as a core value. This means that reducing inequalities in Congleton is now a strategic objective for the council.
- Successfully campaigned for streets in Congleton to be renamed after prominent local women.
Just think what we could achieve with more women like Kay in political positions. Your support will help us run in more elections, deliver ground breaking fully-costed policies, and hard-hitting campaigns to change the political landscape and show that equality can be a reality.
The legal bit...
As we're a political party we're required to run permissibility checks on donations over £500. These will be completed as you make your donation and therefore we can't accept anonymous donations.
If you give over £500 your details will appear in our election returns, and if you donate over £7,500 your name will appear on the Electoral Commission website.
Published and promoted by Hannah Peaker on behalf of the Women's Equality Party at 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX