What did Jess Phillips say in her resignation letter, who is her husband, do they have children?

Jess Phillips has joined the likes of Alex Davies-Jones and Miatta Fahnbulleh in quitting their roles, Jess Phillips has resigned from her position as safeguarding minister over Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership. In a resignation letter to Sir Keir Starmer, Alex Davies-Jones who was victims minister, said: “It has been the honour of my life to serve His Majesty’s Government as the Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls.

“I have been proud to deliver some monumental changes which will help save lives and shift the dial on the conversation.

“However, we have needed to do more and therefore it is with a very heavy heart that I feel I have no choice but to resign.

“The scale of the electoral defeats at the Senedd Cymru and across the United Kingdom have been catastrophic.

“The country has spoken and we must listen.”

She also said: “I know you to be a good and honest man. But in my heart are my constituents, the victims I have had the honour of working with every day, including the Hillsborough victims and their families, and all those who demand better of us.

“I implore you to act in the country’s interest and set out a timetable for your departure.”

In her resignation letter, Jess Phillips said: “Dear Keir

“I want to start by first saying that we have worked closely together on Violence Against Women and Girls for many years and I have no doubt you have genuine knowledge and desire to rectify this dreadful social ill. We have started to make steps towards change whilst in government and I have been grateful for your support.

“However, it would be remiss of me not to say that real change and direction in this area usually came from threats made by me in light of catastrophic mistakes. The Mandelson saga whenever it bubbled up made Number 10 kick into gear on the subject in order to prove our credentials. I will never waste a crisis to make advancements for women and girls and so demands were made and some were met.

“I think you are a good man fundamentally, who cares about the right things however I have seen first-hand how that is not enough. The desire not to have an argument means we rarely make an argument, leaving opportunities for progress stalled and delayed.

“Over a year ago I presented solutions, long worked on by brilliant civil servants that would end the ability for children in the UK to take naked images of themselves. 91% of online child sex abuse is self-generated by children groomed, tricked and exploited in to abuse. The technology exists to stop children being able to take naked images of themselves. We could make this possible on every phone and device in the country. We could stop this abuse. It has taken me a year to get you to agree to even threaten to legislate in this space. Not legislate, just threaten. This is the definition of incremental change. Nothing bold about it. The announcement was meant to be in March, I'm still on a promise this will happen in June, I've given up believing it. How many children were left without a safety net in the time we dilly dallied and worried about tech bosses?

“This is just one example.

“Labour governments come around rarely is the constant refrain at the moment. It's true they are precious. Every Labour government in my and my family's lifetime has forged progress that changed our country and the world for the better. I know you care deeply, but deeds, not words are what matter. I'm not sure we are grasping this rare opportunity with the gusto that's needed and I cannot keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress.

“Decency is vital, calm curiosity is also needed, but so too are fight and drive required. Have a row, push back, make arguments, bring people along. Standing up and being counted can't always be workshopped. Politics is as much about feelings as policy, especially at the moment.

“I want a Labour government to work and I will strive as I always have for its success and popularity, but I'm not seeing the change I think I, and the country expect, and so cannot continue to serve as a minister under the current leadership.”

Is Jess Phillips married, does she have children?

Jess Phillips is married to Tom Phillips, a former lift engineer, the couple married in 2006. They share two sons Harry and Danny. In 2018 she told the Big Issue that “The fact that I had babies when I was 22, that would shock the girl who went on marches for the rights of women to have abortions. I had this moment just after my son was born of, oh my God I’ve got a baby, what was I thinking?

“My now-husband and I had only been together a few weeks, though I’d known him all of my adult life. I found early motherhood horrendous. I mean, I loved my son Harry, though if I’m honest that took a while.

“I love him much more now but I found it really really hard. It was lonely and crushing at times. I felt a lot of guilt, I wasn’t good enough. But in the long term, I think I handled it well. We carved out a good life together.”