Local MP Mary Macleod welcomed over 75 young women from all across the country to Westminster as part of Parliament’s International Women’s Day celebrations.

For the third year running, Mary organised a day to inspire the next generation as part of her role as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Parliament.

The girls were taken on a tour of No.10 Downing Street and a reception in The Speakers House, as well as shadowing their own MPs and members of House of Commons Staff throughout the day. Many joined Mary and other MPs at a debate in Westminster Hall on violence against women and girls.

Mary said:

“On International Women’s Day, the House of Commons wants to inspire young women to aim high and be the best they can be. Female representation has come a long way since Nancy Astor became the first female MP to take her seat in 1918. Today, we have 148 female MPs. That’s good progress, but it’s not enough. I hope that today, some of the young women visiting parliament will have been inspired to become MPs in the future.”

Mary also unveiled a first-look at the new APPG Women in Parliament website – a portal for aspiring women MPs, encouraging women to get involved in politics and public life.

Mary added:

“The APPG Women in Parliament was set up with one aim – to create a better and more representative house by encouraging more women into Parliament. In our report last year, my APPG identified several ways we could help women to take that extra step. One of those ways was better and clearer information about what it takes to become an MP. The Women in Parliament website, which I unveiled today, is a portal for women – whatever their politics – to find out more about women in Parliament, how to become an MP and how to get more involved in politics and public life.”