CHANCELLOR PLEDGES £15M FOR MISOGYNY PREVENTION FUND

Chancellor John Healey has pledged £15 million for a fund aimed at preventing misogyny in schools, workplaces and communities, the government said. Ministers plan to provide £5 million a year for three years and expect the Budget on Wednesday to confirm the fund. The government said the money would support mentoring for young people, workplace training and campaigns intended to improve safety for women and girls. “Every woman and girl deserves to feel safe, respected and able to pursue their ambitions – at school, at work and in their communities,” Healey said. He said the government hoped to attract additional funding from businesses and philanthropists.

The fund would support a national taskforce established last month and chaired by Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson. The government said the taskforce aims to shape policy around the experiences of people affected by misogyny. Ministers said its first meeting would focus on young people, with later work covering workplaces, digital spaces and social cohesion. Phillipson cited sexist slurs, harassment and workplace discrimination as conduct the government wants to address.

The Office for the Impact Economy would administer the fund with the Office for Equality and Opportunity, and organisations could bid for project grants. Conservative shadow women and equalities minister Joy Morrissey called the proposal “a total waste of public money” and said it would not make women and girls feel safer. Office for National Statistics estimates suggest that 12.8% of females aged 16 and over in England and Wales, around 3.2 million people, experienced domestic abuse, sexual victimisation or stalking in the year to March 2026. The equivalent estimate for males was 8.9%, or around 2.1 million people.