Starmer, Reeves and Rayner host International Women’s Day event at No 10

Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Sir Keir Starmer have welcomed high-profile women from across the UK to Downing Street to mark International Women’s Day.

The day celebrating women’s achievements fell on Saturday, March 8 this year, so a reception to recognise it was held on Tuesday at No 10.

Guests included Olympic athlete Dame Kelly Holmes and actor Anna Maxwell Martin, alongside faith leaders, musicians, lawyers and others.

“This isn’t some great privilege being extended to you to be in this room with us tonight. That is your right.

“This is the place that you should be telling us what you feel, challenging what we are doing, and pushing us further and faster all of the time.”

Sir Keir also reiterated the Government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls, adding: “The number of women that are killed by their partner has been stuck at an incredibly high number for far, far too long.”

“That’s why I speak like Mancunian,” she said, adding: “I think there’s something important about being authentically you, whoever that is, and from whatever background, wherever you’re from.

“Being authentically you creates space for others to see themselves and to come forward and to celebrate who they are for what they are, and that we are all imperfect in a brilliantly perfect way.”

She added: “It’s a huge privilege for me, a privilege of my career, to be Chancellor of the Exchequer.

“But I think I probably speak for everybody here that being a first also comes with a big responsibility as well.

“A responsibility in a way, to show that it can be done, because you’re doing it not just for yourself, but to show everybody it can be done.”