Happy International Women's Day!

International Women's Day 2024 brings with it a powerful and resonant theme: "Inspiring Inclusion." This theme serves as a beacon, guiding us to reflect on the progress made in women's rights and gender equality while also urging us to redouble our efforts in creating a more inclusive world for all.

The end of last week saw the world's media react to the news that Kamala Harris had been picked as Joe Biden's running mate for the 2020 American presidential election.

It comes after an election trail which has seen Biden keep to his promise of appointing a woman to run alongside him as Vice President.

Yesterday, we reported on the decision of the Liberal Democrats leadership candidates to commit to adopting the Rooney Rule. This is a decision which would be the first of its kind in British politics, and has the potential to fundamentally change the level of representation in party politics, by ensuring the presence of at least one minority ethnic candidate on the final shortlists for parliamentary contests. The existence of a ‘Rooney Rule’ may come as a surprise to some, but as we explain, it has already had its bearings in numerous other fields…

'If they it didn’t exist, we’d probably be looking for a way to make it’

At least, it was difficult not to come away with that impression after having sat down with the creators of the AniMates podcast.

The party's leadership will surely hope that the decision to shakeup their selection process will bear fruit.

Cllr Anna Rothery, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool has been reappointed for another year as the city’s first citizen. Cllr Rothery who was preceded by Peter Brennan and Christine Banks, will be formally endorsed at a city council’s cabinet meeting later today.

Beyond already making history in 2019 by becoming the city’s first black mayor, she will make history once more later today by becoming the first mayor in the city council's history to serve two successive terms.

In our last meeting, whilst Theresa May was Prime Minister she did not disclose her decision to appoint me to the upper House as a Cross-bench Lord. But I should have read between the lines during our chat.

“The work you’ve done with the Race Disparity Unit has to continue. Together Simon, we’ve built a foundation that will help transform Government departments, and deliver better policies to tackle racism” she said.