Finch-Saunders AM is calling on women across Aberconwy to consider getting involved in local politics and stand for public office in advance of Tuesday’s 100 year anniversary since Parliament gave women the right to vote.
Janet wants to see more women in public life, and more women representing the Conservative Party at all levels.
That is why the Party has announced £5 million to help celebrate this milestone and to encourage more women to engage in our democracy. It will fund activities in the cities and towns with strong links to the campaign for women’s suffrage, and allow local communities to apply for money to run celebratory events.
Theresa May and the Conservatives have a proud record of promoting women in politics. The first woman to sit in the House of Commons was a Conservative, and we were the first party in the western world to elect a female Prime Minister. The Prime Minister co-founded Women2Win, appointed a female Vice-Chair to our candidates department to look at how we can get more female candidates and we are working hard in Government to give women greater financial security, ensure equal opportunities in the workplace – so there’s no glass ceiling - and are working to end violence against women and girls.
Commenting, Janet said:
‘A record number of women were elected to Parliament at the 2017 General Election – but there is still a lot more work to do.
‘I want to see more women in politics at every level, and more women representing the Conservative Party at all levels.
‘That is why I will be celebrating this milestone and using it as an opportunity to encourage more women to stand for public office.’
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Parliamentary and political firsts for Conservative women:
- 1919: First Member of Parliament to take seat (Nancy Astor)
- 1970: Deputy Speaker of the Commons (Betty Harvie Anderson)
- 1975: Leader of the Opposition (Margaret Thatcher)
- 1979: Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher)
- 2010: Secretary of State for Wales (Cheryl Gillan)
- 2016: Lord Chancellor (Liz Truss)
- 2017: First female Muslim minister to speak at despatch box (Nusrat Ghani)
- At the Spring Budget we announced £5 million to celebrate this year’s centenary of the political emancipation of women in this country. From this, £1.2 million will fund activities in 7 cities and towns with strong links to the campaign for women’s suffrage – Bolton, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester, and Nottingham (HMT, Autumn Budget 2017, November 2017, link).
- Local and community groups across England can apply for money from the £1.5 million Centenary Grant scheme. It will support celebratory events run by local communities and organisations in England (Women’s Vote Centenary Grant Scheme, accessed 31 January 2018, link).
- Women2Win. Women2Win was founded in 2005 by the Prime Minister and Baroness Jenkin. It supports the Conservative Party’s commitment to select more women to fight winnable Parliamentary seats and elect more Conservative women to Parliament. Women2Win represents a broad cross-section of men and women from across the party with a clear mission: to ensure the Conservative Party fairly represents women at all levels of politics (Women2Win, accessed 31 January 2018, link).