The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. The expectation of change among working-class women weighed heavily on the Labour women who were elected in 1945. Never had so many women stood for election … Continue reading Mabel Ridealgh and Edith Wills

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Labour MPs Lucy Middleton (1894-1983) and Muriel Nichol (1893-1983) took up their seats in Plymouth, Sutton and Bradford North in 1945.  Both were well known in … Continue reading Lucy Middleton and Muriel Nichol

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