Jess Phillips

Jess Phillips – Life, Politics, and Advocacy

Jess Phillips (born 9 October 1981) is a British Labour politician known for her outspoken style and commitment to women’s safety. Learn about her journey, beliefs, achievements, controversies, and impact.

Introduction

Jessica Rose “Jess” Phillips is a British Labour Party politician who has represented Birmingham Yardley as Member of Parliament since 2015. Known for her forthright voice, feminist advocacy, and campaigning on domestic violence and safeguarding, she occupies a distinctive role in UK politics. In July 2024, she entered government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls in the Home Office.

Early Life and Background

Jess Phillips was born on 9 October 1981 in Birmingham, West Midlands. She is the youngest of four children of Stewart Trainor (a teacher) and Jean (née Mackay), who worked in the NHS and later held senior administrative roles. Her parents were politically active and imbued her early with a sense of public service.

Phillips attended King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, a grammar school in Birmingham. From 2000 to 2003, she studied Economic and Social History & Social Policy at the University of Leeds. Later, she completed a postgraduate diploma in public sector management at the University of Birmingham from 2011 to 2013.

Before entering Parliament, she worked for the Women’s Aid Federation of England, managing refuges for victims of domestic abuse in Sandwell (West Midlands). She also had involvement with her parents’ event management business.

Entry into Politics

Phillips left Labour during the New Labour era but rejoined after 2010. In 2012, she was elected as a Labour councillor for Longbridge ward, winning the seat from the Conservatives. She also served as the Victims’ Champion at Birmingham City Council and on the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel.

In June 2013, Phillips was selected from an all-women shortlist to contest Birmingham Yardley for Labour, a seat then held by Liberal Democrat John Hemming.

Parliamentary Career

Election & Early Years (2015–2017)

• In the 2015 general election, Phillips was elected MP for Birmingham Yardley, capturing about 41.5 % of the vote and a majority of 6,595.

• Her maiden speech focused on homelessness and better support for victims of domestic and sexual abuse.

• Later in 2015, she was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Lucy Powell, then Shadow Education Secretary.

• In June 2016, she resigned as PPS amid growing tensions around Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, and declared she “would find it incredibly difficult” to remain if Corbyn were re-elected.

• She backed Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour leadership challenge.

• That year she also was elected chair of the Women’s Parliamentary Labour Party (WPLP).

Middle Terms & Leadership Bid (2017–2024)

• In 2017, she was re-elected with increased vote share (~57.1 %) and a much larger majority of 16,574.

• Phillips has been a vocal critic of sexism, harassment, and issues around gender equality in Parliament.

• In 2020, she briefly stood as a candidate for the Labour leadership but withdrew early in the contest.

• In April 2020, under Keir Starmer's leadership, she was appointed Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, operating within the Shadow Home Office.

• In November 2023, she resigned from the shadow frontbench, in protest over Labour’s handling of the Gaza crisis, after voting for a ceasefire amendment.

Recent Appointment & 2024 Election

• In the July 2024 general election, Phillips was re-elected, although with a significantly reduced majority of 693 votes.

• On 9 July 2024, she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office, with responsibility for Safeguarding & Violence Against Women and Girls.

Political Views & Advocacy

Women’s Rights & Violence Against Women

Jess Phillips is perhaps best known for her work on gender-based violence, domestic abuse, and safeguarding women and girls. She compiles annual lists of women killed by men and has used her parliamentary platform to foreground the issue.

Feminism, Trans Issues & Sex Work

Phillips has taken nuanced, sometimes controversial stances in debates on transgender rights, women-only spaces, and sex work. She has said she considers trans women as women but has also expressed opposition to their access to spaces such as women’s prisons or rape crisis refuges, suggesting separate facilities.

She supports adoption of the Nordic model of sex work in certain contexts.

Party & Internal Dynamics

Phillips has often been a vocal critic of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. She has emphasized pragmatism and the importance of addressing immediate harms over purely ideological purity.

Her style tends to be direct, forthright, and unafraid of confrontation — which has won both admiration and criticism.

Online Abuse & Safety

Over her career, Phillips has been subject to extensive online abuse, threats (including rape threats), and harassment — leading her to raise the issue of how social media companies moderate content directed at public figures, especially women.

She has taken steps for personal security, including improvements to her office, email filtering, and public awareness of the risks faced by women in politics.

Personality, Style & Public Image

Jess Phillips is known for:

• Candidness: She speaks in plain language and does not shy away from unpopular or personal issues.

• Humor & sharp wit: In interviews and public appearances, Phillips often mixes gravity with humor, sarcasm, and storytelling.

• Resilience: Facing repeated abuse, threats, and political pushback, she maintains persistence in her causes.

• Relational politics: She often frames politics in human terms — emphasising people’s lived realities over abstractions.

Her public persona is polarizing: some admire her bravery and clear voice; others critique her approach or tone.

Notable Quotes

Here are a few remarks that reflect Phillips’s views and style:

“Killed women are not vanishingly rare; killed women are common.”

On internal party conflict: “The day that … you are hurting us more than you are helping us, I won’t knife you in the back, I’ll knife you in the front.”

About her role and expectations: “I’m just Birmingham. I’m fair to everyone.”

On the violence she faces: “Fear and hatred can be the things that drive you … it gives you fight-or-flight.”

Legacy & Impact

• Jess Phillips has helped keep violence against women and girls at the forefront of parliamentary attention.

• Her willingness to cross party lines, resign from roles, and challenge leadership decisions signals a form of principled dissent within party structure.

• She has pushed conversations about online safety, social media accountability, and the specific threats faced by women in public life.

• Her voice contributes to debates on feminism, representation, and how modern parties engage with identity and rights.

Though she is still active, Phillips’s influence is likely to be judged by whether her advocacy leads to legislative or systemic change in safeguarding, gender-based violence, and political culture in the UK.

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