Is Stella Creasy the worst politician in Britain?
Not so much a variant as a complementary alternative: Creasy's Law. The principle is similar. Whatever Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow since 2010, says or writes, the opposite is correct.
This week Creasy's Law has, once again, proved its utility. Ms Creasy is behind an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which would remove all legal prohibitions on abortion up to and including during birth, even if the baby is fully capable of surviving outside the womb.
It is widely accepted that the law surrounding abortion requires modernisation, not least because of advances in medical technology; and, from the other perspective, what many see as the unjust prosecution of women such as Nicola Packer, who was cleared by a jury last month of illegally terminating a pregnancy after taking abortion pills during lockdown.
But Creasy's amendment goes far beyond modernisation; it is about removing any bar to abortion, no matter how near to birth – or even during birth – by scrapping the crime of intentional destruction of a child 'capable of being born alive', as well as removing all other legal bars on late-term abortions.
Creasy says all she wants to do is remove criminal sanctions, but in reality her amendments would simply remove the current 24-week limit with no replacement. In addition, she wants abortion to be classed as a 'basic human right'.
The usefulness of Creasy's Law is especially clear here. Even amongst the country's abortion clinics her proposals are regarded as wrong-headed. Rachael Clarke of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service told BBC Radio 4's Today programme last week that Creasy's plan 'is not the right way' to overhaul abortion laws.
'We are not supporting NC20 [Creasy's amendments], and neither are any of the abortion providers in the country,' Clarke said. Nor does it seem the public supports Creasy. A ComRes poll from several years ago found only 1 per cent of women supporting abortion up to birth – a clear example of Creasy's Law in action.
Creasy is such a useful figure to have in public life because her interests roam over many areas, and she is thus able to help the rest of us pinpoint immediately what to think by thinking the exact opposite. Probably her most notorious comment was in 2022, when she weighed in on one of her favourite issues: 'Do I think some women were born with penises? Yes'.
Creasy has been a long-term advocate of ignoring biology and allowing men who pretend to be women to claim all the rights under law that they would have if they were actually women. It's a shame so much time – and money – was spent clarifying the law around sex. There need never have been a Supreme Court ruling.
A few years ago Creasy wrote: 'As I walk past everyone going to Christmas parties and drinks on my way to get the kids from nursery, yet again acutely aware the motherhood penalty is just a gift that keeps giving…. Not just flexible working we need but flexible networking too.' For Creasy, it seems, having children should not impact one's life. Creasy's Law is helpful here, too, showing that parenting involves a trade-off between the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want, and the needs arising from being a parent.
Creasy has advocated for aggravated criminal sentences as a hate crime for men who hold what she considers to be 'misogynistic' beliefs. No need to go through a debate on this or look at the ideas underlying it; just apply Creasy's Law to know it would be wrong.
It's easy to look disapprovingly at Stella Creasy, who is not only wrong about everything, but compounds that with a patronising manner which seems to treat anyone who disagrees with her as some kind of bigoted fool. Instead, we should see how useful she really is and turn more often to Creasy's Law for guidance.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Starmer accused of ‘abject failure' as people smuggling arrests fall under Labour
People smuggling arrests by the UK's organised crime agency have fallen under Labour, despite Sir Keir Starmer 's pledge to "smash the gangs", as the number of small boat migrants arriving since he took charge soars past 50,000. The latest National Crime Agency (NCA) data shows 192 people were arrested for organised immigration crime in the year to April – down 16 per cent from 229 under the Tory government the previous year. Labour has faced growing criticism over its failure to cut the number of people making the perilous crossing, with education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith admitting the figures were 'unacceptable'. Former Tory immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the latest arrest figures proved 'it's never been easier to be a people smuggler', while former home secretary Chris Philp said they proved Starmer's big talk about smashing the gangs has been an 'abject failure'. It comes as the government ramps up its efforts to tackle the issue amid growing public anger, which has sparked a series of violent protests outside migrant hotels across the country. The prime minister has adopted a hardline approach on immigration, with a string of new measures announced, as he tries to win back voters and fend off the surge in popularity from Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Earlier this year, Yvette Cooper announced an extra £100m to tackle people-smuggling gangs, including 300 more staff at the NCA ' focused on intelligence targeting crime gang members'. And last week, Sir Keir confirmed that the first migrants had been detained under the new 'one in, one out' swap deal between the UK and France – although none have yet been sent back to Europe. The Home Office has also expanded its 'deport now, appeal later' scheme, which sees foreign criminals deported before their appeals have been heard. Despite the fall in people smuggling arrests last year, the NCA said it has "dedicated more resources than ever before' to tackling the threat from organised immigration crime. NCA acting deputy director Dan Barcroft said: 'Arrests on their own are not the only way to judge impact. We have also achieved record numbers of disruptions against people smugglers – 347 last year, up almost a third - each of which will have removed, prevented or reduced a criminal threat.' 'Arrest figures may fluctuate, but over the last four years the NCA has been involved in more than 900 arrests relating to organised immigration crime in the UK and overseas.' The Home Office told The Independent that further people smuggling arrests have been made by Immigration Enforcement and police forces, but refused to share any details. A spokesman said: 'We are taking firm and targeted action to dismantle the organised criminal networks responsible for dangerous small boat crossings – networks that put vulnerable lives at risk and undermine border security.' Reacting to the figures, Mr Jenrick said: 'Starmer said he'd smash the gangs but arrests of people smugglers are down and record numbers of migrants have crossed this year. For all of Starmer's talk, it's never been easier to be a people smuggler.' A Labour MP on the right of the party told The Independent they were 'frustrated' by the government's pace of action. They said: 'The public think we're basically not doing anything and don't believe smashing the gangs will make any material difference. And so far, their suspicions are being borne out by the facts. We have to move heaven and earth to get and show we have control.' Over the past decade, the NCA has been involved in over 2,200 arrests linked to immigration crime in the UK and overseas, with a 93 per cent conviction rate. While the figures do not exclusively cover small boat migration, a large proportion of such crimes involve bringing people across the Channel. This includes arrests across the people smuggling operations chain, from those who supply small boats to lorry drivers illegally ferrying migrants. The NCA told The Independent it is currently leading 91 investigations into organised immigration crime. Despite lower arrest numbers, the NCA said its increased disruptions 'reflect a move towards taking the fight to gangs upstream, focusing on the highest harm networks, and hitting them where the impact on their business will be greater'. One such example last month saw the NCA and Bulgarian law enforcement seize 25 inflatable boats set for use by people smugglers crossing the Channel. Sunder Kutwala, director at the British Future thinktank, said the government's best shot at tackling the problem is to scale up the one-in-one-out deal with France to 500 or 1,000 people a week. 'If [people smuggling] is a lucrative business, and the barriers to entry are pretty low and the cost of getting your dinghy slashed is quite low – or getting low-level operatives arrested is low – you'll always get new entries to the market' he told The Independent. 'The government has now got a shot at establishing the returns deal and, with enforcement, it looks more viable than any of these offshoring models [like Rwanda]. If I was the government, I would [scale up] quickly not slowly.' The number of migrants crossing into the UK by small boats is up 47 per cent from the same time last year, at record levels. Fourteen people have already died this year trying to cross into the UK, with the highest on record (73) last year, and a woman, 30, died on Monday while trying to board a boat attempting to make the crossing to the UK from Dunkirk. The Mayor of Dunkirk, Patrice Vergriete, said that the situation "can't stand much longer". He called for the creation of a "legal immigration route to the UK" saying "our coastline is a daily witness to an absurd, ineffective and terribly cruel management of the migration crisis".
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
'Hyperbolic word salad': Row breaks out as Reform UK politician urges Scots council to rule out low emission zone
Councillor Jamie McGuire labelled the schemes in four Scottish cities as "little more than cash cows" in a blistering statement. A row has broken out after a Reform UK politician urged Renfrewshire Council to rule out ever introducing congestion charges or a low emission zone (LEZ). Councillor Jamie McGuire labelled the schemes as "little more than cash cows" and said the local authority "must have no part in this" in a blistering statement. But the elected member for Renfrew North and Braehead has been accused of "hyperbolic word salad" on an issue that was settled almost two years ago. In September 2023, the SNP administration confirmed it was not considering the introduction of an LEZ in Paisley or any other part of Renfrewshire at a full council meeting. Councillor McGuire, who defected from Labour to Nigel Farage's Reform in June, said: "Scotland's four main cities already have LEZs in place and their experience should be a warning. "These schemes have acted as little more than cash cows, generating income for councils while hitting those who can least afford it. "People on the lowest incomes, who are far more likely to drive older vehicles, have been penalised simply for trying to get to work, take their children to school or care for relatives. "Renfrewshire must have no part in this. A congestion charge or LEZ in our towns would be a hammer blow to local households and businesses. We are a working community that depends on accessible, affordable transport. "Many residents travel across Renfrewshire for work, education, and caring responsibilities, while small enterprises rely heavily on vans and cars to serve customers and move goods. "Imposing extra charges on them is not just unreasonable, it risks undermining our local economy and making it harder for people to live and work here." He added: "The SNP-led Renfrewshire Council must act now to rule out – clearly, unequivocally and permanently – ever introducing either a congestion charge or a low emission zone in our area. "Residents deserve certainty, not the constant threat of new charges hanging over them." Councillor Jim Paterson, SNP convener of the planning and climate change policy board, claimed Councillor McGuire was "trying to raise his profile" with the comments. The elected member for Renfrew South and Gallowhill said: "Another day, another fabricated outrage from Councillor McGuire. "The position of the SNP administration and indeed Councillor McGuire on this issue was settled in 2023 when the Conservative group called on the council to rule out establishing any form of LEZ in Paisley and wider Renfrewshire for the duration of this council term. "The SNP position along with a Labour amendment was agreed then by the vast majority of councillors which stated that the council would not consider the introduction of a low emission zone (LEZ/ULEZ) in Paisley or any other parts of Renfrewshire. That position remains unchanged. "Councillor McGuire, like his newfound political hero Nigel Farage, may like to trade in misinformation but to imply that there has been any change to the agreed position of 2023 is just nonsense and to suggest there is a 'constant fear' hanging over residents is just hyperbolic word salad from a councillor desperately trying to raise his profile to secure the top spot in his party's internal list for Holyrood 2026."
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
We feel duped and insulted by this Labour government
Lord Falconer's assessment of the government (Starmer's team seen as 'tired, same-again politicians', says Labour peer, 9 August) does not acknowledge the depth of feeling on current issues, and his advice for the future is itself 'same-again' and 'tired'. After the last general election, Keir Starmer promised us hope and an assurance that the 'broadest shoulders' would help to turn around the country after 14 years of disastrous and deeply damaging Conservative rule. However, the public clearly didn't think that axing disabled people's benefits or removing heating allowances from pensioners fitted the 'broadest shoulders' definition. Rather large 'fuck-ups', as Falconer puts it, in a handful of weeks. The pro-Israel, pro-US foreign policy agenda, while a terrible genocide unfolds in Gaza, has also proved deeply unpalatable. The public feel duped and insulted by this 'blue' Labour government, with its unashamedly authoritarian assault on democracy. I agree with the 'same old, same old' sentiment: same lower- and middle-income earners paying the same price for the same old financiers, political lobbyists, rightwing campaign groups, global corporations, arms manufacturers and their vested interests. Yes, the 10-year NHS plan is welcome, but the failure to tax the super-rich and initiatives such as the environmentally catastrophic planning reforms outweigh any positive steps. Falconer suggests No 10 should unapologetically drive through ideological change, but that approach is doomed. Less of the tone-deafness and failure to read the room, and more consultation, more humanity, are what the people BorgesStowmarket, Suffolk Charles Falconer's critique of Labour in government sums up the situation very well. I would just add that disillusionment and absence of hope combine to make this an unhappy, uneasy country. Yet our government apparently fails to see any link with increasing polarisation, conflict and crime. It's proving a costly failure for us all, but especially for the people who are marginalised and vulnerable. We should expect JonesLondon
