REFORM UK can never be trusted on women’s rights, the TUC has warned, as the hard-right party published a “shameless and deceptive” attempt to distract from its sexist policies.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak slammed Reform’s so-called Women and Motherhood Protection Act today, which promises protections for women while simultaneously ripping up the Equality Act and Employment Rights Act.

Despite its framing, Mr Nowak explained that most of the rights included in Reform’s plans are already in place or are to be delivered by the Employment Rights Act.

Implementation of the proposal would mean a reduction in women’s rights, while pledging to keep in place only some protections from sex discrimination.

The union body highlighted the timing of the proposal, which closely followed intense criticism against the Reform candidate in the Makerfield by-election, Robert Kenyon, for his misogynistic comments.

Party leader Nigel Farage dismissed Mr Kenyon’s statements as “laddish pub talk.”

Mr Nowak said it is “galling and offensive” to ask that women be “grateful for commitments to keep protections that have been around for half a century, while scrapping two huge pieces of legislation which enshrine recent hard-won rights.”

He added: “Let’s call this out for what it is — a smokescreen for slashing women’s rights and making life harder for families. It’s shameless and deceptive.

“If Reform was really on the side of women, the party wouldn’t have pledged to rip up the Equality Act, effectively legalising discrimination.

“They wouldn’t have vowed to repeal new rights being introduced by the Employment Rights Act, like protection from harassment.

“And they wouldn’t have shrugged off blatant misogyny from their own candidate as just laddish banter.

“Equating women’s success with motherhood is patronising, antiquated and plain wrong.

“All women — whether mums or not — are at risk from a Reform government that wants to turn the clock back.

“The party can never be trusted on women’s rights.”

Mr Nowak also pointed out that the Equality Act protects women on the basis of sex, but also protects all workers from other forms of discrimination which women often experience, such as discrimination based on pregnancy, religion, sexual orientation, age, race and disability.

He added that the hard-right party should face serious questions over whether it will keep the principle of equal pay for equal value work.