Rachel Reeves launches female MPs book on International Women's Day

Yorkshire MP Rachel Reeves has launched a new book celebrating the lives of women in politics.
Leeds MP Rachel ReevesLeeds MP Rachel Reeves
Leeds MP Rachel Reeves

The work by the Labour MP for Leeds West, entitled Women in Westminster: The MPs Who Changed Politics looks at the careers of pioneering female figures, from Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to Labour’s Diane Abbott, who was the first black woman to win a seat in the House of Commons.

Speaking at the book launch in Parliament, the Speaker John Bercow paid tribute to the author’s “intelligence” and “eloquence”.

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Mr Bercow also noted that the event coincided with International Women’s Day and called on colleagues to continue the fight for gender equality.

Labour MP Peter Kyle said: ‘Rachel is one of the most compelling and magnetic leaders in parliament today. Her work ethic, intellect, and values are always at the forefront.

“Coupled with her warmth as a person, it shows why she stands alongside the very most remarkable women that her formidable book celebrates and is a politician many of us, regardless of gender, are inspired by.”

Last week, Mrs Reeves wrote about the process of researching her book in The Yorkshire Post.

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She wrote: “From everything I have looked at, there is no doubt that having more women in Parliament has transformed politics.

“Reforms have included widows’ pensions, family allowances, child benefit, equal pay and tougher penalties for domestic violence to name only a few milestones.

“But women have done more than that. More women in Parliament have changed the way we actually do politics.”

Ms Reeves, who was elected to Parliament in 2010, also chairs the influential Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee.