Labour needs to talk about women. If I say that, your thoughts probably jump to one particular debate. You may be thinking about JK Rowling, you may be thinking about David Tennant. You are thinking about how the next government is going to respond to the tension between those who recognise the reality of biological sex, and those who want to ensure that trans people can live comfortably in their chosen gender.

For sure, that is a discussion that Labour cannot sidestep. The next government needs to have the courage to clarify the law on sex and gender and help to steer better ways through areas where rights conflict.

But this is far from the only conversation Labour needs to have about, or with, women. It’s not the only area where courage is required. These 14 grinding years of Conservative rule have been devastating for too many women.

For a start, we need to talk more about poverty. Child poverty has figured a bit in this election campaign. But let’s not gloss over the link between child poverty and the poverty of their mothers. One charity said recently that three in four of those using its food banks are women. Women are poorer than men, they work in lower-paid roles, or for fewer hours, or they are not in paid jobs at all – a quarter of women are “economically........

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