International Women’s Day

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon Excerpts

Friday 6th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Lab)]

Well, my Lords, another brilliant maiden speech. We are so fortunate to have so many new women on our Benches—on all our Benches. It is so good to be here today and I am very proud to welcome my noble friend to the red Benches. I know that the whole House will benefit greatly from her breadth of experience. A career that spans youth justice to the strictures of the Treasury is admirable, always driven by values, compassion and a clear-headed approach to dealing with social and economic justice. She is a feminist. She is clearly a woman who enjoys challenges and the fact that she worked as chief press officer at No. 10 during the tumultuous years of the global economic crisis must demonstrate that she has inexhaustible reservoirs of patience, knowledge and diplomacy. Many of my noble friends in this House were also there during those difficult times, when I truly believe that we in this country, and our Government, did everything that was necessary to safeguard the economy of the world. I thank her for the part that she played in that.

A masters degree at Harvard Kennedy School was followed by four years during the years of austerity working at Citizens Advice on policy campaigns, including on welfare and employment rights. Her determination to tackle disadvantage, widen opportunity and break down barriers, including for women, have been her catalysts for action. She has worked to bridge many gaps in society and now, as business adviser to the Chancellor, she is working to help bridge the gap between business and government. I am very proud to share the red Benches with her and I know that she will make a fantastic contribution to the work of this House.

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate women and girls throughout the world, from businesswomen, nurses, doctors, engineers, teachers and those in so many other professions, to those working in the fields, or fleeing from war or imprisoned in their homes by repressive regimes, unable to get an education. It is a reminder that women can do anything. Across the world, progress has been made, but now the fragile gains are being reversed. There is a global rollback of women’s rights, as the noble Baroness said, and the fact that there are strong men throughout the world who are wielding such evil power must make us think that it is time for women to get there, to be leaders of our world. As Malala said,

“I think realizing that you’re not alone, that you are standing with millions of your sisters around the world is vital.”

That is why today is so important.

I am proud to be chair of the Jo Cox Foundation. As my noble friend the Minister, my predecessor as chair, knows, we make positive change on issues that my friend Jo was passionate about: building stronger communities, tackling the epidemic of loneliness and championing respect in politics. Jo was passionate about inclusive, respectful politics. Violence, abuse and harassment are a growing barrier to women’s equal representation in public life and, indeed, the functioning of our democracy. Too many elected and potential representatives are avoiding political activities. Too many excellent change-makers are choosing not to stand in the first place or stepping away due to safety concerns for themselves and their families. This is not the way to achieve the 50:50 Parliament that we all want and need. The problem reflects the intersectional gendered inequalities in our society, meaning that the impacts are felt disproportionately by those who are already underrepresented in our democracy. It is a damning indictment of our political culture that too many now view harassment as simply “part of the job”.

Change is possible, however, by working across political divides towards a vision of a political culture where everyone can safely participate in respectful, robust debate in the spirit of Jo’s message that we have

“more in common than that which divides us”.—[Official Report, Commons, 3/6/15; col. 675.]

This is the 10th anniversary of Jo’s murder, an act driven by extremism and division, a stark reminder of what can happen when it is left to grow. I hope that everyone will join me in celebrating Jo’s legacy and raising awareness about her message by participating in the Great Get Together in June. Noble Lords can be sure that I will contact them all to ask for their participation. Jo was a life-long humanitarian who worked for women’s empowerment throughout the world and spoke out courageously against injustice and mass atrocities. She knew that, wherever there are despots or war, it is women who suffer most, as they are now in Afghanistan and Sudan. Like me, she would be deeply concerned about the Government’s recent announcement about halting visas for students from those countries.

In a former life, I was principal of Somerville College, where Lady Rhondda had been a student, but she gave up her studies to become a suffragette. Somerville became a college of sanctuary and the University of Oxford, like so many other universities, also then became a university of sanctuary. I am immensely proud of the extraordinary, courageous sanctuary scholars who study across the UK. This must continue. One of my former colleagues said that, with the current government policy, “It feels as if the Government are joining the Taliban in denying education to the women of Afghanistan”. They are her words, not mine. Two of the eight sanctuary scholars currently at Somerville are inspirational women medics from Sudan who have emerged from unimaginable trauma, unbowed and determined to shape a better future for their countries. They want to, and will, return. Education is a fundamental right, and we must strive to ensure that women and girls have access to education throughout the world. Channelling Jo’s humanitarian values, I ask the Government to commit to responding positively to the OCHA emergency relief co-ordinator’s appeal. The world cannot, and must not, look away.

Confucius said:

“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace”.


Women of the world are desperate for peace and they need hope. A recent visit to the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh gave me much hope. It offers amazing opportunities for extraordinary young women who have faced indescribable challenges. Of the 2,000 students, over 500 are from Afghanistan and more than 300 are from Myanmar, most of whom grew up in Cox’s Bazar. These wonderful, resilient young women want the opportunity to rebuild their societies when there is peace. Hope and peace are precious commodities. In this Chamber we have the privilege, power and platform to bring about change in our communities, our country and around the world. We have a duty to use it.