Women in parliament: the new Suffragettes

Book synopsis: How women MPs have become a force to be reckoned with - Most authoritative and wide-ranging anatomy of a political issue of perennial interest. - Based on interviews with women MPs, including Clare Short, Diane Abbott, Theresa May, Margaret Beckett, Mo Mowlam, Virginia Bottomley...- Already the subject of wide media coverage. - National newspaper serialisation under negotiation. For all the media babble about 'Blair's babes' and Theresa May's leopardskin shoes, the period since the Labour landslide in 1997 has seen a significant shift in the influence of women in the corridors of power - even if many male MPs are unable or unwilling to concede the fact. There are currently more women in the cabinet than ever before (six), and women MPs have had a hitherto unknown effect on policy, pushing such issues as child protection, rape and domestic violence to the centre of the political agenda. Based on extensive interviews with a cross-party group of some 100 MPs, ranging from current and former cabinet ministers to unfamiliar backbenchers, this book analyses the history of women in Parliament, the current period of change, and likely developments in the future