Harriet Harman’s New Chapter: From Parliament to Global Women’s Rights Advocate

A New Role for a Veteran Politician

Harriet Harman has been appointed as the UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls on March 8, 2025. In this significant role, she will work alongside the Foreign Secretary and Minister for International Development to advance the UK’s foreign policy and international development objectives regarding women and girls.

Distinguished Parliamentary Career

Harman’s appointment follows a remarkable political career, during which she served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Chair of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2015. She also held the positions of Leader of the House of Commons and briefly served as Leader of the Opposition in 2010 and 2015 following the resignations of Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband. Her parliamentary service as MP for Camberwell and Peckham (formerly Peckham) extended from 1982 to 2024, culminating in her appointment to the House of Lords as a life peer.

Champion for Women’s Rights

Throughout her career, Harman has been politics’ most prominent champion for women’s rights. As a minister in the Labour Government, she was instrumental in introducing the National Childcare Strategy and the Equality Act, reforming domestic violence laws, and increasing female representation in politics.

Her impact on women’s representation in politics has been significant. As she noted in her resignation letter, she entered the Commons as one of only 11 Labour women MPs in a parliament that was 97% men. Today, there are 104 Labour women MPs across all parties, though she acknowledges that more work remains to achieve genuine equality in political power between men and women.

Looking to the Future

As a vocal advocate for women and girls, Harman has championed issues including women’s political representation, maternity rights, and combating violence against women. When asked about stepping back from frontline politics, she expressed confidence in the current and upcoming generation of women in politics, stating they are ‘every bit and more than capable’ of continuing the work, and she would be ‘enthusiastically cheering them on.’