We were very sorry to hear of the death last week of Shirley Williams. In honour of her passing we are pleased to publish this guest post on her life in Parliament by Oonagh Gay. Shirley Williams was first elected … Continue reading Shirley Williams and Parliament
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Margaret Herbison (1907-1996) and Jean Mann (1889-1964) were elected as Labour MPs in Lanarkshire in 1945: Herbison’s father was a coalminer, Mann’s an iron moulder. Both … Continue reading Margaret Herbison and Jean Mann
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. In the 1920s and 30s, women often struggled to secure safe or target seats because it was feared that they would be unpopular with voters. In … Continue reading Barbara Ayrton Gould and Caroline Ganley
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Twenty-four women were elected to Parliament in 1945, 21 of whom represented Labour, including Bessie Braddock (1899-1970), for Liverpool Exchange, and Florence Paton (1891-1976), for Rushcliffe. … Continue reading Bessie Braddock and Florence Paton
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Freda Corbet and Clarice Shaw shared a background in teaching, and both served as magistrates. They played a greater role in their local areas and in … Continue reading Freda Corbet and Clarice Shaw
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Alice Bacon (1909-1993) and Grace Colman (1892-1971) were both elected as Labour MPs in 1945, having been active in the party for many years. Both were … Continue reading Alice Bacon and Grace Colman
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Barbara Castle (1910-2002), Labour’s Red Queen, is remembered for her staunch commitment to gender equality, her achievements in three large Departments of State—Transport; Employment and Productivity; … Continue reading Barbara Castle
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Agnes Hardie and Jennie Adamson were Scottish working-class women who fought poverty, campaigned for women and advocated peace. They became Labour MPs in middle age, with … Continue reading Agnes Hardie and Jennie Adamson
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Frances Marjorie Graves’s paternal grandfather Samuel Robert Graves was a Conservative MP for Liverpool while Joan Davidson’s paternal grandfather Sebastian Dickinson was a Liberal MP for … Continue reading Marjorie Graves and Joan Davidson
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Dame Irene Ward (1895-1980) and Dr Edith Summerskill (1901-1980) were two of their parties’ longest-serving MPs. Both fought for equal pay and equality for women in … Continue reading Irene Ward and Edith Summerskill
