The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Janet (“Jennie”) Lee (1904-88) and Mary Agnes (“Molly”) Hamilton (1882-1966) were both Labour MPs who were first elected in 1929. They were both associated with the … Continue reading Jennie Lee and Molly Hamilton

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Ruth Dalton (1890-1966) and Leah Manning (1886-1977) were both Labour MPs and formidable campaigners. They got to know each other in the early 1920s in Cambridge, … Continue reading Ruth Dalton and Leah Manning

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Liberal MPs Vera Terrington (1889-1973) and Hilda Runciman (1869-1956) both had family connections with the House of Commons. Terrington’s grandfather was a firefighter and watchman in … Continue reading Vera Terrington and Hilda Runciman

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Dorothy Jewson (1884-1964) and Susan Lawrence (1871-1947) became the first women Labour MPs, along with Margaret Bondfield, at the general election of 1923. Both women built … Continue reading Dorothy Jewson and Susan Lawrence

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. In 1929, Margaret Bondfield (1873-1953) became the first woman to be appointed to the Cabinet. It was another 16 years before the second appointment—that of Ellen … Continue reading Margaret Bondfield and Ellen Wilkinson

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Many of the first female MPs worked together cross-party, as many still do, but Katharine Stewart-Murray (1874-1960) and Eleanor Rathbone (1872-1946) are a particularly intriguing partnership. … Continue reading Katharine Stewart-Murray and Eleanor Rathbone

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Margaret Wintringham (1879-1955), Mabel Philipson (1887-1951) and Gwendolen Guinness (1881-1956) became MPs when they won by-elections in seats previously held by their husbands, following Nancy Astor who had also been elected to her husband’s seat. While not frequent speakers, they made a significant contribution to Parliament’s work by co-ordinating cross-party initiatives, supporting and opposing legislation, and breaking new ground as the first women to take up particular roles. Wintringham was the first British-born woman to take a seat in Parliament and the first female … Continue reading Margaret Wintringham, Mabel Philipson and Gwendolen Guinness

This next post in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team gives an overview of the early women MPs. Follow the blog for future posts on the individual women! This was a decade of … Continue reading The First Women MPs, 1918-1931