The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. Priscilla Thomson (1915-1978) was the first woman to represent Aberdeen South. Elected in a by-election in 1946, she was one of only two female Conservative MPs … Continue reading Priscilla, Lady Tweedsmuir, Patricia Hornsby-Smith and Harriet Slater
The next in our series on women MPs by the House of Commons Hansard Writing Team. At the end of the second world war, the United Kingdom turned to the challenge of improving people’s lives, but there were several years of economic … Continue reading Women MPs, 1945-1955
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
