Jeremy Corbyn slaps down shadow minister over female-only carriages call
2 min read
Jeremy Corbyn has slapped down one of his frontbenchers after they said female-only train carriages may be needed to tackle a rise in sex attacks.
Speaking exclusively to PoliticsHome, Chris Williamson said it could help to create a "safe space" for female commuters.
Figures uncovered by the BBC last month showed that 1,448 sexual offences on UK trains were reported in 2016-17 – up from 650 in 2012-2013.
Mr Williamson said: "Complemented with having more guards on trains, it would be a way of combating these attacks, which have seen a very worrying increase in the past few years."
His comments echoed those of Jeremy Corbyn, who came in for criticism when he floated the idea when he was first running to be Labour leader two years ago.
But speaking to HuffPost UK, the Labour leader said he was no longer in favour of the policy. He said: "No. It was there [during his leadership campaign] as a discussion item which was taken out of context.
"The response was that people don't want them: end of."
Mr Williamson also faced a furious backlash from Labour MPs.
