Starmer's Dismissal of a Minister for Men Shows Contempt for Male Issues

By Michael Thompson, Founder of the Falsely Accused Network

The Prime Minister's outright rejection of a Minister for Men position is not just disappointing—it's emblematic of the systemic disregard for the unique challenges facing men and boys in modern Britain.

Sir Keir Starmer's comments that a Minister for Men is "not the answer" demonstrates a profound disconnect from the reality of the male experience in this country. While he claims to be "worried" about the "crisis in masculinity" after watching Netflix's "Adolescence" with his children, his solution amounts to little more than platitudes about sports role models and vague promises of "further discussion."

This is particularly egregious when we consider that Starmer's government maintains a Women and Equalities Minister position. The implicit message is clear: women's issues deserve dedicated ministerial attention, while men's do not. This double standard cannot be justified in a society that claims to value equality.

The crisis facing young men isn't merely a matter of lacking positive role models, as Gareth Southgate suggests. It encompasses a complex web of challenges including:

- The highest suicide rates among any demographic group

- Falling academic achievement relative to girls

- Disproportionate representation in the criminal justice system

- Custody and family court inequities

- False accusations that destroy lives and reputations

- The lack of support services specifically tailored to men's needs

At the Falsely Accused Network, we routinely witness the devastating consequences when men are treated as disposable by our institutions and legal system. The absence of dedicated advocacy at the governmental level perpetuates these injustices.

Starmer's suggestion that sports figures and teachers can fill this void demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of the structural nature of these problems. While positive local role models are important, they cannot address systemic biases in our education, legal, and healthcare systems.

The Prime Minister states he wants to "pick this challenge up and see it for what it is." I invite Sir Keir to truly see this crisis for what it is: not merely a cultural problem of inadequate role models, but a political failure requiring political solutions—including dedicated ministerial representation.

A Minister for Men could advocate for balanced family court proceedings, robust safeguards against false accusations, mental health services tailored to men's needs, and educational approaches that don't leave boys behind. These aren't niche concerns—they affect roughly half of Britain's population.

If Starmer genuinely cares about the "crisis in masculinity," he must move beyond watching Netflix dramas and taking calls from former football managers. He must recognize that men's issues deserve the same level of governmental attention and resources as women's issues.

Anything less is not just an inadequate response—it's institutionalized discrimination.