Labour MP Stella Creasy has revealed she was on the phone to ministers 24 hours after giving birth to her son, advocating for her constituents traumatised by the Afghanistan crisis.
The maternal rights advocate told Harper’s Bazaar UK it wasn’t an option “to tell my constituents that for six months they have no voice, no issues I can take forward”.
“I’m not going to say to someone cowering in fear from the Taliban, sorry, I’ve had a baby so your family doesn’t matter. It’s an impossible situation,” she said in an interview with the magazine.
Ms Creasy is one in a group of women profiled as “strong female icons” in its July/August issue. Britain’s fastest female sprint runner Dina Asher-Smith and the women behind media database Dattalion, which aims to fight Russian disinformation, were also featured.
Ms Creasy is spearheading a new initiative that provides grants for mothers standing for Labour candidacy.
The Walthamstow MP said “being a mother in politics isn’t a disadvantage, it’s an advantage”.
She said: “Right now, these voices are missing from public debate.”
Last year in the Commons Ms Creasy, newborn in tow, called on Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg to support new mothers returning to parliament.
“There was a practical reason why I brought my son [to Parliament], which is that I didn’t have proper maternity cover,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
Meanwhile Ms Asher-Smith talked about dealing with mental health and male bias in sport.
Although the sprinter admitted she cannot watch footage of herself breaking down after failing to qualify for the Olympic finals last year, she said it showed her vulnerability.
“I welcome it – I think showing your vulnerability is so important. But I can’t watch it, because I don’t like seeing myself cry.”
She talked about the importance of “mental armour” as well as fitness.
“You could be on amazing form, but if you have any chinks in your mental armour, then the race won’t go the way you plan.”
She also revealed the challenges women still face in sport.
“Even talking about periods is taboo – people think you’re making excuses, without fully understanding that for some women, this can literally define whether they can run as normal or not.’”
A group of women behind media database, Dattalion, set up to fight Russian disinformation following the invasion of Ukraine, were also interviewed.
“Dattalion has allowed the people of Ukraine to create raw, real-time footage of exactly what is happening in our country,” Ukrainian creative director of the luxury brand Aspinal, Mariya Dykalo, told Harper’s Bazaar.
“It also helps people trace displaced loved ones and is a vital source of communication, so by championing Dattalion and sharing the content, we can help tell the truth of the war. It’s not just a physical war, but a cyber-information one, too.”
