Tuesday marked100 years since the Representation of the People Act (1918) was passed and women were first given the vote in national elections.

But even then, only women over thirty who were married or property owners were given this right. It took another 10 years before all women were given an equal vote to men at the age of 21.

Since then, the Labour Party has taken the lead in getting more women into politics and making sure women are better represented in the House of Commons. As a party, we now have 119 women MPs who make up 45% of the Parliamentary Labour Party, far ahead of the Tories and other political parties.

During the statement in the Commons on the centenary of women’s suffrage, I called on the Government to recognise the vital role that our trade unions have played in supporting women into politics. Watch the video of my question below.

There is still a long way to go in the UK – we’ve yet to see a Parliament where 50% of MPs are women, a goal that is easily achieved. So whilst Tuesday was a day for much celebration, the fight for women’s political empowerment must carry on.