Jess Phillips: I hated being in government

Former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips says she "hated" being in government.

Speaking to Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast, she said she was "deeply unhappy throughout most" of her time in the role.

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Asked by Sky's political editor, Beth Rigby, whether she would ever go back into government, Ms Phillips said she wouldn't.

"I don't think I'm suited to it, Beth, is the actual answer... I won't go back in and do more of the same. So no is the answer," she said.

"I won't go back and be a junior minister who – whilst having an awful lot of gumption and kudos in the field – I won't go back and just start knocking heads together again."

Ms Phillips quit as a minister in May in an attempt to force Sir Keir Starmer out of his job and said that he "lacks the drive to get anything done with gusto".

'Nowhere near' halving violence against women and girls

The former safeguarding minister also said the government is "nowhere near the level of will and commitment it will actually take to halve" violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Halving VAWG within a decade was a key pledge of Labour's 2024 general election manifesto.

"The Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, if you were to do everything in it, you would probably drop [VAWG] by about 25%," she said.

As safeguarding minister, Ms Phillips led on the creation of the VAWG strategy.

She added that she used to give "gold stars" to ministers who took halving VAWG seriously – but expressed frustration that she didn't get enough buy-in across government on the work and that some departments didn't see tackling it as their responsibility.

"I understand other government departments have other priorities, but it's not my job to be flexible," she said. "I have one job, and it is to stop women having to be flexible about their safety."

Sky News has contacted the Home Office for a response.

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