February 6th is the centenary of women’s suffrage and a series of events are planned around the 1918 Representation of the People Act.
The 1918 Representation of the People Act gave the vote to women over the age of 30 who met minimum property qualifications. This Act also extended the franchise to all men over the age of 21.
Commemorative events began this morning with a photo call of all past and present women MPs in the central lobby of the House of Commons and later in the day there will be a reception hosted in Westminster Hall.
Dame Caroline Spelman MP (Meriden [West Midlands]), who was elected twenty years ago and currently serves as the Second Church Estates Commissioner, took part in the event. She said, “the fight to secure women the vote was won in 1918 but there are still many battles to fight, such as equal pay, sexual exploitation and even something as basic as getting mother’s names on marriage certificates, so this centenary just reminds me, out of respect for the suffragettes, to keep up the fight for equality.”
Image captions:
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Prime Minister Theresa May with Female Conservative MPs in Parliament.
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Dame Caroline Spelman MP, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, celebrates 100 years of women’s votes with the first Female, Lord Spiritual, the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt. Rev Rachel Treweek.