Labour women lead push to make it easier for mothers to run for parliament

A campaign has been set up by MP Stella Creasy to counter the motherhood penalty' in the party's selection process

A group of senior Labour women are to launch a new campaign to give mothers the resources to run for parliament, amid concerns that the prevailing Westminster culture puts women off standing while their children are young.

In an attempt to revisit a successful campaign that helped boost the proportion of female Labour candidates in the 1990s, a group of MPs, former ministers and peers from the left and right of the party are backing a plan to end what they describe as a motherhood penalty" in the party's selection process. It follows claims by some potential candidates that they have been asked who is going to look after their children while they are fighting for a seat.