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

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Mary Pickford (1884-1934) and Norah Runge (1884-1978) were two of the 15 women MPs elected in 1931, and both served for just one Parliament. Both were active … Continue reading Mary Pickford and Norah Runge

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Conservative MPs Mavis Tate (1893-1947) and Thelma Cazalet-Kier (1899-1989) played a key role in shifting the issue of equal pay up the political agenda. They both … Continue reading Mavis Tate and Thelma Cazalet-Kier

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Ida Copeland and Sarah Ward both benefited from the swing to the Conservatives at the 1931 general election, becoming Members for what had been safe Labour … Continue reading Ida Copeland and Sarah Ward

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Beatrice Wright (1910—2003) and Violet Bathurst, Lady Apsley (1895—1966) were Conservative MPs elected in by-elections during the second world war after their husbands’ death. Wright was … Continue reading Beatrice Wright and Violet Bathurst, Lady Apsley

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Florence Horsbrugh (1889-1969) and Helen Shaw (1879-1964) were Scottish Conservative MPs elected in 1931. Prior to entering Parliament, both had received MBEs for their efforts during the First World War. In Parliament, however, their paths diverged, as Horsbrugh took up posts in Government while Shaw continued to be inspired by local issues. Florence Horsbrugh Horsbrugh achieved several notable firsts, including becoming the first Conservative MP for Dundee since the 1830s. She represented the constituency from 1931 to 1945 before becoming the MP for Manchester Moss Side … Continue reading Florence Horsbrugh and Helen Shaw

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. By 1931, women had sat in the Commons for more than a decade but, as Edith Summerskill MP (1901-80) recalled in her autobiography, “Parliament, with its … Continue reading Women MPs, 1931-1945

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Cynthia Mosley (1898-1933) and Lucy Noel-Buxton (1888-1960) were both Labour MPs, but their political positions were fluid and they were influenced, in different ways, by their … Continue reading Cynthia Mosley and Lucy Noel-Buxton

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. The general election of 1929—the so-called “flapper” election–saw women over the age of 21 voting for the first time under the provisions of the Representation of … Continue reading Megan Lloyd George and Edith Picton-Turbervill

The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Ethel Bentham (1861-1931) and Marion Phillips (1881-1932) were the first medically qualified women to sit in the Commons. They were active throughout their lives in campaigns … Continue reading Ethel Bentham and Marion Phillips