Women's groups have asked for the candidates to become Walthamstow MP for their stances on women's issues ahead of the general election this Thursday.

Organised by charity Rooms of Our Own, women and women's organisations in the constituency put forward key questions, which the charity says were emailed out to each of the Walthamstow candidates.

Only three parties - the Lib Dems, Conservatives, and the Trade Union and Socialist Party (TUSC) - replied, according to Rooms of Our Own.

We have summarised the replies that were gathered by Rooms of Our Own for five key areas. 

Gender pay gap

Rooms of our Own asked each candidate what they would do to "improve employment, promotion, pay and pension equity for women".

Conservative candidate Sanjana Karnani said she would encourage businesses to publicly publish their pay rates.

She also added that she would "educate women" that it's "ok to ask for a pay rise or a promotion as that’s what men are very comfortable in doing".

Nancy Taaffe, the TUSC candidate, said the "attack" on the social wage as a whole has driven women away from work.

She said: "I support a minimum wage of £15 hour for all young workers.

"Women’s role within society means that the less the state does the more they have to do."

Liberal Democrat candidate Rebecca Taylor said the gender pay gap is most often a "motherhood penalty for women", driven by a "lack of affordable childcare".

She added that the Lib Dems would make parental pay and leave "day-one rights" to help with this. 

Specialist services for survivors of VAWG (Violence against women and girls)

Rooms of Our Own asked: "What would your party do to a) address the culture of violence against women b) provide support to victims /survivors?"

In response, Ms Taylor from the Lib Dems said that they would make misogyny a hate crime, as well as expanding the number of refuges and rape crisis centres.

Ms Taaffe also said that we "must talk" about women's refuges -adding that her party would "fight" for these services that she said have been hit by funding cuts.

Tory candidate Ms Karnani said that her party would introduce "tougher sentencing for murders which take place in the context of domestic abuse" and a new investigatory model for rape.

Biological sex and gender identity

The three parties were split on the legislation surrounding biological sex and gender identity.

Ms Karnani said that the Conservatives would introduce legislation "to clarify that the protected characteristic of sex in the Equality Act means biological sex".

By contrast, Ms Taylor said: "The Liberal Democrats have no plans to amend equality or other legislation to relate to biological sex not gender identity."

She added that the debate around trans rights and gender identity has become "far too toxic and hostile".

Ms Taaffe added: "I do not think that trans people are a threat to women, I think austerity, cuts and the madness of capitalist economics are."

Cost of childcare

Rooms of Our Own asked what each party will do to address the rising costs of childcare.

TUSC candidate Ms Taaffe said: "All care services should be nationalised, brought back under public provision, well-funded and widely accessible."

Ms Karnani said that the Tories would provide 30 hours a week of free childcare, as well as making more cuts in National Insurance "so that working women can keep more of the money they earn".

The Lib Dems would, says Ms Taylor, tackle this issue by reviewing the rates paid to providers for free hours "to ensure they cover the actual costs of delivering high-quality childcare and early years education".

She added that her party would have a specific emphasis on supporting children with special educational needs.

Rape reporting

The charity quizzed the candidates on what their parties would do to increase the reporting of rape cases.

Ms Karnani said the Conservatives would introduce a new investigatory model for rape cases and "make it easier for women to give evidence without having to be face to face with the perpetrator".

Ms Taaffe proposed investing in rape crisis support.

She said: "I would introduce sex education that honestly discusses the insidious effects of misogyny and porn on relationships."

The Lib Dems' Ms Taylor said her party would make misogyny a hate crime and "ensure survivors of VAWG and sexual assault are properly supported in the criminal justice process, including through mandatory training for police and prosecutors in understanding the impact of trauma on survivors".


The other candidates - Imran Arshad (Workers Party), Mohammed Ashfaq (Independent), Stella Creasy (Labour), Dan Edelstyn (Independent), Martin Lonergan (Reform UK), Ruth Rawlins (Independent) and Rosalind Rowlands (Green Party) - did not provide answers to the charity.