Thread by @AllyFogg

Some observations on the International Men's Day debate that's just ended in the House of Commons 🧵

First up, I was one of the people who last year took issue with the focus of @NickFletcherMP in the same debate. Credit where due, this year he made the case really well for a national men's health strategy & a minister for men & raised loads of excellent & correct points. >

Quick personal opinion on this one @NickFletcherMP - I think the strongest argument against a MoM is that it implies a false equivalence to the role of the Minister for Women & Equalities. That is a fair & legitimate objection. So I think the full title >

should be Minister for Men's Health & Wellbeing & it should be a brief within DoH, & should have responsibility for developing & implementing a men's health strategy AND a male victims strategy. (I'd also have a separate ministerial brief for boys' education within the DfE.)

The biggest disappointment of the afternoon was with @UKLabour MPs. Not a single backbencher spoke or even, as best I could tell, turned up. (This isn't a swipe at Starmer et al btw, the situation is longstanding.) So not only did not a single Labour MP care enough to take part >

They sent Yasmin Qureshi, Shadow Women & Equalities, to represent the opposition (underlining the point about a minister being a health brief, btw) & offered less than zero. When asked directly whether the Labour party supports a Men's Health Strategy and/or a Minister for Men, >

SHE DIDN'T KNOW. She then read out a long litany of dreadful, shocking statistics about men's health outcomes & behaviours & then added "and this shows why it is so important to have a proper public health strategy for everyone... and that will improve men's health as well."

We often talk about men's health and welilbeing existing as a perennial afterthought in the corridors of power, but she literally used the sentence construction "everyone... and men as well."

The other point about the total absence of Labour backbenchers is that one (only one, tbf) Tory MP made some points about family breakdown which were (IMHO) ill-informed & reactionary. There was nobody there to pull her up & challenge her on it.

That's what happens when you surrender the territory of debate.

One final point, Virginia Crosbie (Tory for Ynys Môn) told the House that she had recently lost her brother to suicide, which puts all other contributions to this debate in their proper perspective. Deepest condolences to her.

Conclusion, lots of strong contributions from Tory, SNP & Ind MPs. I think this is probably the 4th (?) #IMD #InternationalMensDay debate & it feels like every year gets a bit more focused on constructive policy demands & meaningful material action & that is real progress.