International Women’s Day

Baroness Thornton Excerpts

Friday 6th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Thornton (Lab)]

Noble Sisters and Brothers, I am honoured to follow my friend, the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, who has reminded us all of the price women pay for the misogyny and violence that is still here today in our liberal, democratic society. Every woman’s death means a family is shattered and has to live with the consequences of the murder of their mum, grandma, sister, auntie or friend.

The list read out by the noble Baroness reminds us that this violence, and sexual violence, is visited on women and girls across the world, as has been mentioned by many noble Lords in the debate today. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary said recently about Sudan:

“The world must not look away. The international community has failed the women of Sudan. The stories of brutal attacks, sexual torture, public rape used as weapons in conflict against fleeing women and children are truly horrendous. This is a war waged on women’s bodies. Yet too often these stories are not heard, and the world turns its back”.


She went on to say:

“The UK is stepping up support for survivors, we will not look away. The world must come together to stem the bloodshed, protect women and girls, and drive urgent momentum towards peace”.


I am very glad that she said that and I am sure that everyone in the House will be, also. But I also share concerns about our aid budget and the effect it will have in these circumstances.

These debates often honour the women, and indeed men, who have fought over millennia for our rights and equality. Sometimes it is our mums and grandmas we honour. Sometimes it is Malala, Mary Wollstonecraft, Fawcett, the Pankhursts, the Matchgirls or Jayaben Desai at Grunwick. I was there on the picket line at Grunwick. We are honouring the women on whose shoulders we stand, and the galaxy of noble Baronesses’ maiden speeches today gladdens my heart: you are all here with us.

I also congratulate my noble friend the Minister on her first International Women’s Day speech. I think it might be my 25th, but I am not absolutely sure. There are years when we have had to fight to have this debate at all. I pay tribute to my noble friend Lady Gale, and indeed other noble Baronesses on Benches across the House, who have had to fight to have this debate. We have sometimes been relegated to late at night, and even to Grand Committee.

I will use my remaining few minutes to honour one of our own, my fellow Bradfordian and honourable friend Naz Shah MP. The book Honoured, which she wrote, tells of being working class and living in poverty, of the racism, and of the punishment of her family under the honour-based system when her father deserted them. Naz wrote:

“My fight started in the womb. I mean, because I was born a girl, my father didn’t pick me up till he had a son”.


She writes of leaving school at 12, forced marriage at 15, bringing up her two siblings when her mother was imprisoned after a life of abuse and coercion and trying to protect her daughter. My friend became a campaigner, and this led her into politics. She has also built a great and successful career for herself to support her family, and she was sustained in her campaigning by Southall Black Sisters. I want to mark how much I admire and credit the work of these sisters over many years.

Before running against George Galloway in Bradford West in 2015, Naz published a blog about her family’s history because, quite rightly, she said that, if she did not own her own story, it was ripe for exploitation. But she was telling it as a campaigner who had fought for her mother. This book tells it in a profoundly personal way. She has lived through these horrors and they have shaped her politics. It is a remarkable read. It is a book that is a testament to the strength and resilience of this woman and, indeed, to many of the women we honour today.

I do not intend to mention George Galloway again, except to say, as someone who went home to Bradford for six weeks to work in Naz’s campaign, it was one of those wonderful moments in politics when we overturned his majority resoundingly. We did it in large measure because women from all our communities in Bradford supported Naz and saw through the misogynistic politics of the then Respect party. In his losing speech at the count, he spoke of “lions and hyenas”—it was a very puzzling speech—but I agreed with Naz, who said, and this is very typical:

“I thought, ‘Get over yourself, mate. You were the pussycat who lapped imaginary milk on Big Brother””.


It is important to honour our sisters in struggle wherever we find them, and that is why today is so important.