Healey to promise £15m to tackle misogyny in Budget
Source: BBC Politics ↗ (cross-verified by 2 outlets — full list below)
Labour Chancellor Jeremy Healey announced on the eve of his first Budget that a new “misogyny prevention fund” will allocate £15 million over three years to combat misogyny in the United Kingdom. The funding will be directed to schemes such as mentoring for young people, workplace training and communications campaigns aimed at improving the safety of women and girls. The initiative is tied to a national taskforce set up last month and chaired by Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson, which will guide the use of the money and seek additional contributions from businesses and philanthropists. Healey framed the pledge as “practical action to tackle misogyny head‑on” and emphasized that every woman and girl deserves to feel safe, respected and able to pursue her ambitions in school, work and the community.
The Conservatives have dismissed the proposal as ineffective, with shadow women and equalities minister Joy Morrissey calling the £15 million “total waste of public money” and asserting that no woman or girl will feel safer as a result. Morrissey cited recent Office for National Statistics data showing that 12.8 % of females aged 16 and over in England and Wales – roughly 3.2 million people – experienced domestic abuse, sexual victimisation or stalking in the year to March 2026, arguing that Labour’s plan does not address the scale of the crisis. She further accused the government of being “not serious about tackling the crisis of violence against women and girls” and of burdening taxpayers to fund projects targeting the “manosphere”.
The taskforce’s first meeting will concentrate on young people before expanding its focus to workplaces, digital spaces and social cohesion, with the stated aim of ensuring policy is shaped by those most affected by misogyny. Phillipson highlighted daily incidents of sexist slurs and workplace discrimination as having “no place in modern Britain” and positioned the fund as a critical step toward consigning misogyny to history books. She urged participation from big business and the public alike, suggesting that a collaborative effort could amplify the fund’s impact and improve the lives of women and girls across the country.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economymedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Political risk is something markets price in almost instantly these days.
- ▶A change in tone from government can move sentiment well beyond its borders.
🏙️Local Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Jobs and trade close to home might feel a soft knock-on effect.
- ▶High street footfall and spending can shift subtly after a story like this.
🏦Rates & Bankslow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Mortgage lenders might pause new offers until the political dust settles.
- ▶Borrowers are usually better served waiting out political noise than reacting to it.
❤️Healthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶News like this can nibble at everyday calm more than people expect.
- ▶A little perspective usually helps once the initial shock fades.
💷Wealthlow impact
What this means for you
- ▶A modest, well-diversified nest egg tends to absorb shocks like this gradually.
- ▶It's a reasonable moment to check your investments are still on track.
🏠Housinglow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Asking prices in the area might firm up or soften only gradually.
- ▶The housing market has a habit of lagging behind the headlines.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.