Irene Montero Gil

Irene Montero Gil is a Spanish politician of Unidas Podemos and a Member of the European Parliament since 2024.

Political career

Irene Montero Gil was born in 1988 and emerged in politics through Spain’s left-wing activist and student milieu. She studied psychology at Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), where she became involved in student activism and later linked up with the political current that would crystallise around Podemos after 2014. Her rise was rapid, reflecting both her organisational abilities and the party’s preference for younger public figures who combined media fluency with a strong ideological profile.

Montero became one of the most visible figures in Podemos’ parliamentary project after being elected to the Congress of Deputies in 2016. She then served as spokesperson for Unidas Podemos in the Congress of Deputies (2018–2020), a role that placed her at the centre of negotiations with the Socialist-led government and at the front line of parliamentary debate. In that period, she gained prominence as one of the party’s most recognisable communicators and political operators.

In January 2020, Montero entered government as Minister of Equality (2020–2023) in the coalition administration led by Pedro Sánchez. Her ministry became associated with some of the most debated reforms of the period, especially the “only yes means yes” sexual consent law and wider equality legislation. The portfolio made her a nationally prominent figure, but also a polarising one: admired by supporters as a champion of feminist policy, and attacked by opponents as a symbol of the most combative sector of the Spanish left.

At the end of her ministerial tenure, Montero moved to the European level and was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2024 for Unidas Podemos. In Brussels and Strasbourg, she continues to represent the party’s progressive and feminist agenda, now in a transnational institutional setting.

Relationship with the public

Montero has a highly polarised relationship with the public. Among left-wing voters, feminist groups and many social movement activists, she is associated with a generation that normalised activist politics inside government and made gender equality a central state priority. Her public image benefited from her visibility as a young woman in senior office and from her consistent, combative defence of feminist reforms.

At the same time, she has been one of the most criticised figures on Spain’s right and in sectors of the media. She is often presented by opponents as emblematic of what they see as the excesses of identity politics or ideological law-making. Her tenure as minister generated intense media scrutiny, especially around implementation problems and political controversy over equality legislation. This has made her a politician with a high degree of recognition but also unusually strong negative reactions among part of the electorate.

Positions and political profile

Montero is identified with feminism, social rights, redistribution and a strongly interventionist left-wing agenda. She has defended expanded state action on gender equality, protection against sexual violence, reproductive rights and broader measures aimed at reducing structural discrimination. Within Unidas Podemos, she has been seen as a loyal and highly disciplined representative of the party’s ideological line, closely associated with the sector around Podemos’ most clearly movement-based politics.

Her defining political moment was her period as Minister of Equality, when she became the public face of reforms intended to strengthen victims’ rights and place consent at the centre of sexual offence law. The subsequent political controversy around the interpretation and application of that legislation deeply shaped her profile, because it tied her name to both one of the most ambitious equality reforms of the era and to the institutional backlash that followed.

She is generally perceived inside her party as highly influential, media-effective and ideologically consistent. Outside her party, perceptions diverge sharply: supporters view her as a serious reformist politician, while detractors often see her as uncompromising and confrontational. Her style is direct, argumentative and clearly aligned with the party’s activist roots, which has helped her retain a clear political identity even in highly hostile environments.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Irene Montero? Irene Montero Gil is a Spanish politician from Unidas Podemos who is currently a Member of the European Parliament. She previously served as Minister of Equality and as parliamentary spokesperson for Unidas Podemos in the Spanish Congress.

What party does Irene Montero belong to? She belongs to Unidas Podemos, the left-wing political formation that grew out of the broader Podemos project and the Spanish anti-austerity cycle.

What was Irene Montero’s most important government role? Her most prominent government post was Minister of Equality (2020–2023), where she led Spain’s equality policy agenda and became closely identified with feminist legislation.

Why is Irene Montero a controversial figure? She is controversial because she is strongly associated with the most ideologically explicit wing of the Spanish left, especially on gender, feminism and consent legislation. This has made her a target for criticism from the right and from some media outlets.

What is Irene Montero doing now? Since 2024, she has served as a Member of the European Parliament, continuing her political career at EU level while representing Unidas Podemos.

What are Irene Montero’s main political themes? Her main themes are feminism, equality, social justice, state intervention and the defence of rights for women and other disadvantaged groups.