Sophie Walker
{{Short description|British political activist (born 1971)}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Sophie Walker
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| image = Sophie Walker et al.jpg
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| caption = Walker in 2018
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| office = Leader of the Women's Equality Party
| term_start = 22 July 2015
| term_end = 22 January 2019
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| predecessor = Sandi Toksvig (co-founder)
Catherine Mayer (co-founder)
| successor = Mandu Reid
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1971|05|27}}
| birth_place = Blackpool, Lancashire, England
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| citizenship =
| nationality = British
| party = Women's Equality Party
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| spouse = Christopher Naylor
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| residence = London
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| alma_mater = University of Reading
| occupation = Politician
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| website = [http://www.womensequality.org.uk/leader_sophie_walker Women's Equality Party]
| module = {{ external media | topic = Press Association interview
with Sophie Walker | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgfRQ8gVsVc "Sandi Toksvig's Women's Equality Party name Sophie Walker as leader"] via YouTube{{cite AV media | people= Sophie Walker | date= 22 July 2015 |access-date= 21 September 2015 | title= Sandi Toksvig's Women's Equality Party name Sophie Walker as leader | medium= YouTube | publisher= Press Association | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgfRQ8gVsVc }} }}
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Sophie Walker (born 27 May 1971){{cite web |title= Walker, Sophie |url= http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2013001085.html |publisher= Library of Congress |access-date= 21 September 2015 |quote= data view screen (b. 5-27-1971) }}{{cite news | last = Beaty | first = Zoe | title = Just who are the Women's Equality Party and what do they stand for? | url = http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/who-are-the-womens-equality-party-and-what-do-they-stand-for-policies-pay-parenting-education | work = Stylist | publisher = Shortlist Media | date = March 2016 }} is a British political activist who was the founding leader of the Women's Equality Party (WE) in the United Kingdom.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46962112|title=Feminist party's first leader resigns|work=BBC News|date=22 January 2019|access-date=25 January 2019|language=en-GB}}{{cite news | last = Cohen | first = Claire | title = Watch out Cameron: Meet the leader of Britain's first feminist political party | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-politics/11753983/Womens-Equality-Party-Meet-politics-new-chief-feminist-leading-it.html | work = The Telegraph | publisher = Telegraph Media Group | date = 22 July 2015 | access-date = 21 September 2015 }}{{cite news | last = Ridley | first = Louise | title = Women's Equality Party leader Sophie Walker wants to end culture of 'white men in suits' | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/09/08/womens-equality-party-sophie-walker_n_8101762.html | work = The Huffington Post | publisher = The Huffington Post Media Group | date = 8 September 2015 | access-date = 21 September 2015 }}
She led the party from 2015 until 2019, first appointed unanimously by the steering committee and then winning the Party's first leadership election in 2018. She announced her resignation in January 2019,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/22/womens-equality-party-leader-sophie-walker-steps-down|title=Women's Equality party leader Sophie Walker steps down|last=Syal|first=Rajeev|date=2019-01-22|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=2019-04-28|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} saying she was "frustrated by the limits of my own work to ensure that women of colour, working class women and disabled women see themselves reflected in this party and know they can lead this movement" and adding that "sometimes in order to lead, you have to get out of the way." Walker was the WE party candidate in the 2016 London mayoral election{{cite web|first=Charlie |last=Cooper|author2= Katie Forster |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/womens-equality-party-350000-votes-george-galloway-london-council-elections-a7018451.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/womens-equality-party-350000-votes-george-galloway-london-council-elections-a7018451.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Women's Equality Party gets more than 350,000 votes and beats George Galloway in London |newspaper=The Independent |date=7 May 2016 |access-date=1 July 2016}} and in the 2017 General Election stood for WE against Conservative MP Philip Davies in Shipley.
She was appointed Chief Executive of the Young Women's Trust in June 2019.{{Cite web|title=Young Women's Trust appoints Sophie Walker as Chief Executive|url=https://www.youngwomenstrust.org/what_we_do/media_centre/press_releases/983_young_women_s_trust_appoints_sophie_walker_as_chief_executive|last=|first=|date=6 June 2019|website=Young Women's Trust|access-date=}}
Early life
Walker was born on 27 May 1971, the daughter of Lesley and David Walker.{{cite web | title = Sophie Walker | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170808075504/http://www.womensequality.org.uk/leader_sophie_walker | url = http://www.womensequality.org.uk/leader_sophie_walker | archive-date = 8 August 2017 | website = womensequality.org.uk | publisher = Women's Equality Party | access-date = 18 March 2017 }} She was born in Blackpool, in England, but grew up in Glasgow, in Scotland.{{cite news | last = Freeman | first = Sarah | title = Women's Equality Party leader Sophie Walker: Why I can beat Philip Davies in Shipley | url = http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/analysis/women-s-equality-party-leader-sophie-walker-why-i-can-beat-philip-davies-in-shipley-1-8516038 |newspaper = The Yorkshire Post | date = 28 April 2017 | access-date = 8 August 2017}}
She attended university in England, studying English and French at the University of Reading (1989–1993).{{cite web | last = Student services | title = Alumni lecture series: Sophie Walker, Women's Equality Party | url = https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/student-services-news/2017/02/03/alumni-lecture-series-sophie-walker-womens-equality-party/ | publisher = University of Reading | date = 3 February 2017 | access-date = 7 August 2017}} Walker then took a postgraduate diploma in newspaper journalism at City University, in London (1997–1998).{{cite web | last = Walker | first = Sophie | title = Sophie Walker | url = https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sophie-walker-2117a847 | website = uk.linkedin.com | publisher = LinkedIn | access-date = 7 August 2017}}
Journalist
Walker's early career was in journalism, working as a reporter and then as an editor at the Reuters news agency. She covered the fields of finance, business and trade, plus politics. She reported from London, Paris and Washington and from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Women's Equality Party
Walker launched the policy manifesto of the Women's Equality Party (WE) at Conway Hall, 20 October 2015, with six core objectives: equal representation in politics and business; equal representation in education; equal pay; equal treatment of women in the media; equal parenting rights; and an end to violence against women.{{cite web | title = Women's Equality Party announces first policies and campaigns | url = http://www.womensequality.org.uk/policy_launch_announcement | publisher = Women's Equality Party | date = 20 October 2015 | access-date = 21 October 2015 }}{{cite news | last = Minter | first = Harriet | title = The Women's Equality Party launch is not a moment too soon | url = https://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2015/oct/21/the-womens-equality-party-launch-is-not-a-moment-too-soon | newspaper = The Guardian | date = 21 October 2015 | access-date = 21 October 2015 }} Walker told BBC Radio Wales Sunday Supplement programme that the party would be taking a non-partisan approach to elections, "We will be undertaking consultations with our members and deciding which seats to target."{{cite news | last = Staff writer | title = Women's Equality Party to field candidates in assembly elections | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-33664219 | work = BBC News: Wales politics | publisher = BBC | date = 25 July 2015 | access-date = 22 September 2015 }} WE is the only UK political party to offer affiliate membership with other parties.
Under Walker's leadership the party grew to 75 UK branches and contested local, national and mayoral elections. It held two party conferences and ran multiple nationwide campaigns on topics related to its party objectives.https://www.womensequality.org.uk/storysofar
Walker was elected party leader in March 2018 with over 90% of the vote.{{cite web |title= Declaration of result: Women's Equality Party Leadership Election | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20180308141643/https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/womensequality/pages/4959/attachments/original/1520460695/results.pdf?1520460695 | archive-date = 8 March 2018 |url= https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/womensequality/pages/4959/attachments/original/1520460695/results.pdf?1520460695 | website = uk-engage.org | publisher = UK Engage | access-date = 8 March 2018}} The term of office is five years and was due to run until 2023,{{cite web |title= Role description: Leader of the Women's Equality Party |url= https://files.ukevote.uk/wep/role_description__we_party_leader_18_12_17.pdf | website = pre.ukevote.uk/we | publisher = Election portal for the Women's Equality Party Leadership Election | access-date = 8 March 2018}} but Walker resigned in early 2019 citing frustration at the lack of diversity within the party. Walker was replaced as leader by Mandu Reid.{{cite web | title = Women's Equality Party announces Interim Leader and London Mayoral Candidate | url = https://www.womensequality.org.uk/new_interim_leader_mayoral_candidate | publisher = Women's Equality Party | date = 8 March 2019 | access-date=30 March 2019 }}
= London mayoral election, 2016 =
Walker stood for election in the London mayoral election held on 5 May 2016.{{cite news|last1=Lo Dico|first1=Joy|title=Sophie Walker: London is the worst place to live in the UK if you're a woman|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/sophie-walker-london-is-the-worst-place-to-live-in-the-uk-if-you-re-a-woman-a3173071.html|newspaper=London Evening Standard|access-date=10 April 2016|date=6 February 2016}}{{cite web | title = Sophie Walker: the power of 4 million | url = http://www.womensequality.org.uk/sophie_for_london | publisher = Women's Equality Party | date = 2016 | access-date = 10 April 2016 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161226121356/http://www.womensequality.org.uk/sophie_for_london/ | archive-date = 26 December 2016 | df = dmy-all }} She came sixth, with 53,055 votes (2% of the vote).
= UK general election, 2017 =
Walker stood in the 2017 general election in Shipley against the sitting Conservative MP Philip Davies, an anti-political correctness and men's rights campaigner.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39683982|title=General election 2017: Women's Equality Party leader to challenge MP Philip Davies|work=BBC News|date=23 April 2017|access-date=23 April 2017}} She received 1,040 votes (1.9%) and finished fourth out of four candidates.{{cite news|last=Grant|first=Katie|url=https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/politics/feminists-devastated-philip-davies-re-elected-shipley-seat/|title=Feminists 'devastated' Philip Davies re-elected to Shipley seat|date=9 June 2017|newspaper=i news}}
Family life
Walker is married to Christopher Naylor, the former chief executive officer of Barking and Dagenham council.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/28/womens-equality-party-founders-it-needed-doing-so-we-said-lets-do-it-sandi-toksvig|title=Women's Equality party founders: 'It needed doing. So we said, "Let's do it"'|last=Cocozza|first=Paula|date=28 August 2015|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=21 September 2015}} They live in London and have one daughter.{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/795701/Sophie-Walker-Womens-Equality-Party-leader-Philip-Davies-general-election|title=Who is Sophie Walker? Women's Equality Party challenges Philip Davies in general election|first=Reiss|last=Smith|date=24 April 2017|publisher=}}
Grace, Walker's daughter from a previous marriage, has Asperger's syndrome and Walker wrote a blog to give a platform to her daughter's experiences.{{cite web | last = Walker | first = Sophie | title = Grace Under Pressure | url = http://courage-is.blogspot.co.uk/ | website = courage-is | publisher = Sophie Walker via Blogger }} This was published as the book Grace Under Pressure.{{cite book | last = Walker | first = Sophie | title = Grace under pressure: going the distance as an Asperger's mum | publisher = Hachette Digital | location = London | year = 2012 | isbn = 9781405516082 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/graceunderpressu0000walk_u0q1 }} Walker has accepted an advocacy role with the National Autistic Society.
Media appearances
Walker has appeared on a number of media broadcasts within the UK including a panel discussion on free speech and equality with Jordan Peterson and Michael Fabricant for The Wright Stuff. Regarding the discussion she stated: "I think the difference between Jordan and me is that we look at evidence and we lean towards different theories. So, Jordan's theory is very much evolutionary, that there are inherent differences in men and women, mine is very much more social role theory, if you like, that men and women are taking on different roles due to the expectations that society puts on them."{{cite AV media | people = Matthew Wright (presenter), Jordan Peterson (guest), Sophie Walker (guest) and Michael Fabricant (guest) | access-date= 18 May 2018 | date = 16 May 2018 | title= Jordan Peterson discusses whether men and women can ever be equal | medium= Television | series = The Wright Stuff | publisher= Channel 5 via YouTube | minutes = 1.40 | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy4vq8RdPGU}} In 2015, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-34745739|title=BBC 100 Women 2015: Who is on the list?|date=17 November 2015|work=BBC News|access-date=17 August 2019|language=en-GB}} In 2018, Walker was named by Vogue magazine as one of the "New Suffragettes".{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/meet-the-new-suffragettes|title=Meet The New Suffragettes|first=Eva|last=Wiseman|website=Vogue|date=4 January 2018}}
Publications
;Books
- {{cite book | last = | first = | title = Grace under pressure: going the distance as an Asperger's mum | publisher = Hachette Digital | location = London | year = 2012 | isbn = 9781405516082 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/graceunderpressu0000walk_u0q1 }}
;Articles
- {{cite news | last = | first = | title = European farmers feel Russian sanctions bite | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/ukraine-crisis-sanctions-food-idUKL6N0QE30020140808 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160306222707/http://uk.reuters.com/article/ukraine-crisis-sanctions-food-idUKL6N0QE30020140808 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 6 March 2016 | work = Reuters | location = London | date = 8 August 2014 }}
- {{cite news | last = | first = | title = Our party's going to reclaim women's equality: help us make it happen | url = https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/24/womens-equality-party-make-it-happen | work = The Guardian | date = 24 July 2015 }}
- {{cite news | last = | first = | title = You can't build a movement of people who look and sound the same | url = https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/feminism/2019/01/sophie-walker-you-cant-build-movement-people-who-look-and-sound-same | work = New Statesman | date = 23 January 2019 }}
;Broadcast Media
- {{cite AV media | people= | date= 19 August 2015 |access-date= 21 September 2015 | title= Our interview with Sophie Walker | medium= YouTube | publisher= www.thefemalelead.com | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LCeHS0rfFw }}
- In 2017, having led them to the final with two victories, Walker captained a team of celebrity former students from Reading University in Christmas University Challenge that was the first in the 55-year history of the quiz to fail to get a single question right.{{cite news|last1=Smyth|first1=Chris|title=Universally challenged: Reading alumni team gets zero|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/universally-challenged-reading-alumni-team-gets-zero-tqtktt932|access-date=8 January 2018|newspaper=The Times|date=8 January 2018}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://www.womensequality.org.uk Women's Equality Party]
- [https://www.blogger.com/profile/07229564521493100885 Sophie Walker's blog]
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{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Catherine Mayer and Sandi Toksvig
as co-founders }}
{{s-ttl|title=Leader of the Women's Equality Party|years=2015 - 2019
(22 July 2015 - 8 March 2018 as interim leader)}}
{{s-aft | after = Mandu Reid
(interim) }}
{{s-end}}
{{subject bar|portal1 = Biography |portal2 = Feminism | portal4 = Politics|portal20=United Kingdom | portal6 = Journalism | portal7 = Writing | portal8 = United Kingdom}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Sophie}}
Category:21st-century women journalists
Category:Alumni of City, University of London
Category:Alumni of the University of Reading
Category:British political party founders
Category:Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom
Category:Scottish women in politics
Category:Scottish women journalists