Baroness Harriet Harman has drawn criticism after praising Conservative minister Kemi Badenoch for promoting Claire Coutinho, a pregnant shadow cabinet member, as an example of being “woke.” The promotion occurred during a recent Conservative Party reshuffle ahead of a potential general election next year.

Speaking on a Sky News podcast, Harman, a former deputy leader of the Labour Party and adviser on women’s issues, described Badenoch’s decision to elevate Coutinho from shadow energy secretary to shadow business secretary—and appoint her as deputy to the shadow chancellor—as a “very progressive” move. Harman remarked that, despite Badenoch’s opposition to the label, “woke is as woke does,” highlighting Coutinho’s promotion while on maternity leave as unusual within the Conservative Party.

Coutinho, who is more than seven months pregnant and expected to give birth later this year, responded by rejecting the implication that her advancement was symbolic rather than merit-based. Posting on social media, she stated that the opposition framed her promotion “only as a symbol of ‘progressiveness’” rather than on her qualifications, asserting that she was glad to represent a party that does not “define women by their maternity status.” During her maternity leave, Julia Lopez will temporarily cover her shadow cabinet responsibilities.

The reshuffle also saw other significant changes, including the replacement of Dame Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary by Tom Tugendhat and the departure of Sir James Cleverly from his housing brief to focus on his candidacy for the 2028 London mayoral election.

The comments by Baroness Harman sparked rebukes from Conservative figures. Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake described Harman’s remarks as “outrageous,” emphasizing that Coutinho’s promotion was based on merit rather than her pregnancy. Hollinrake highlighted Coutinho’s achievements, including her role as energy secretary, where she helped secure a power plant expected to reduce energy bills by 20% for households and businesses. He added that the idea pregnant women cannot be promoted on merit is “complete nonsense” and accused the political left of focusing on background rather than merit when discussing appointments.

The exchange also drew attention to the broader debate about gender and leadership in British politics. Ruth Davidson, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives and co-host on the podcast with Harman, noted that the Conservative Party has a history of female leadership, having had four female leaders and three female prime ministers, while Labour has yet to elect a female leader in its 126-year history.

Coutinho has previously made political history as the first party leader or stand-in to conduct Prime Minister’s Questions while pregnant in June, when she deputized for Badenoch.