Luisa Porritt

“I LOST count of the number of times I was described as a ‘little girl’ despite being in my 30s,” reveals the former London mayoral candidate Luisa Porritt.

During a more fruitful period for her party, the Liberal Democrats, Ms Porritt had been elected to represent the capital at the European Parliament.

But every time she got up to speak there would be a new torrent of abuse awaiting for her when she sat back down.

It will not be breaking news to hear a female politician talk about the horrendous messages – mostly online and anonymous – they have received.

But it’s a fair question posed by Ms Porritt this week: what is actually being done about any of this?

Similarly, the Reclaim These Streets campaigners who have demanded reform of the Metropolitan Police Service are questioning why the “watershed moment” of Sarah Everard’s murder in 2021 has turned out to be anything but. For a fortnight – maybe more but a not lot more – women’s safety was the debate of the day and we all heard the promises of sweeping change, but many feel there has only been nibbling around the edges of some core and valid grievances.

In an article for our sister paper, the Camden New Journal, Ms Porritt recalled her time as an MEP and explained: “At various points I received degrading responses to posts about my work. At the most extreme end, some told me to commit suicide. Others said they wanted to sexually assault me.

“One day I got more traction because there was more interest in whether I was wearing a bra rather than the content of what I was saying.”

Understandably, she is boiling with rage at the apparent inaction to stop any of this. The cycle goes: terrible tragedy, big debate on all forms of sexism and misogyny, promises of reform and then… not much.

“In every institution from classrooms to courts, police stations to parliament, we need leaders who are determined to use their power to change our culture,” Ms Porritt said.

She won’t be standing for the London mayoralty again next year but those elections are in view again and surely anybody who wants to boss this city – be it Sadiq Khan or somebody else – should be coming up with a more radical plan for reform; but most importantly be ready to implement it swiftly.

It hasn’t slipped Harrington’s mind how protective of the status quo many front-line politicians can be.

When the calls first began in October 2021 for Dame Cressida Dick to be replaced as Met commissioner, the then prime minister Boris Johnson, Priti Patel and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer all endorsed her to continue.

Ms Porritt argued then that a new face with new energy was needed to tackle the problem.