List of electoral firsts in the United Kingdom

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This article lists notable achievements of women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBT people in British politics.

Women[]

Women over 30 granted the right to vote: 1918

Women granted the right to vote on the same terms as men: 1928

First female MPs:

Due to the abstentionist policy of Sinn Féin, Markievicz never took her seat in Westminster.

First female cabinet minister

First female Catholic MPs

  • Countess Markievicz, Sinn Féin MP for Dublin St Patrick's, 1918–1922.
She was also the first non-Protestant woman elected to Parliament, having converted to Catholicism in 1917.[2] She abstained from the House of Commons.

First female member of the House of Lords

First female Commons Government Whip

First female Lords Government Whip

First female prime minister

First female home secretary

First female leader of the House of Lords

First female speaker in the House of Commons

First female leader of the House of Commons

First female Justice secretary and Lord High Chancellor

First female Law Lord

First female speaker in the House of Lords

First female Lord Spiritual

First female ethnic minority member of the Senedd[]

Blind people[]

First blind MP

First blind member of the House of Lords

First blind Cabinet member

First blind MSP

First female blind MP (and first black blind MP)

Wheelchair users[]

First MP in a wheelchair

  • Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh, Conservative MP for County Wexford (1866–1868) and for County Carlow (1868–1880). MacMurrough Kavanagh (who had been born with partially formed arms and legs) was given dispensation to be accompanied in the Commons Chamber by a servant who helped place him on the benches.

First female MP in a wheelchair

Black Britons[]

First black MPs:

First black woman MP

First black cabinet member

First black female Cabinet member

First elected black female minister

First elected black Secretary of State

First black AM

  • Vaughan Gething, Labour and Co-op AM for Cardiff South and Penarth, 2011–present

British Chinese[]

First Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland of Chinese origin

First British MP of Chinese origin

First female British MP of Chinese origin

Czech Britons[]

First Czech-born MP

Polish Britons[]

First MP of Polish Jewish descent[]

First Polish-born MP

South Asians[]

  • Note: South Asians include those of Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Nepalese or Bangladeshi ancestry.

First South Asian MP (and first Zoroastrian MP)

First South Asian Cabinet member

  • Sajid Javid, Conservative Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 2014 to 2015, then Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (2015–2016), Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (2016–2018), Home Secretary (2018–2019) and finally Chancellor of the Exchequer (2019–2020).

Javid who was of Pakistani descent, was succeeded by Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian descent. This is the first time that an ethnic minority in one of the Great Offices of State has been succeeded by another person from that category.[13]

First South Asian Member of the Welsh Assembly

First South Asian Member of the Scottish Parliament

First female South Asian MP

First MP of Burmese descent[]

Jews[]

First Jewish Prime Minister

First Jewish MP

First female Jewish MP

First Jewish speaker in the House of Commons

Muslims[]

First Muslim MP

First female Muslim MPs

First hijab-wearing Muslim MP

Hindus[]

First Hindu MP

Sikhs[]

First Sikh MP

First female Sikh MP

First turban-wearing Sikh MP

Buddhists[]

First Buddhist MP

LGBT people[]

See also: List of the first LGBT holders of political offices in the United Kingdom

First openly lesbian MP: Maureen Colquhoun, Labour MP for Northampton North, 1974-79 (outed before coming out)

First openly gay MP (and first openly gay Cabinet minister): Chris Smith, Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, from 1983 to 2005 and National Heritage/Culture secretary, 1997-2001[21]

First openly gay Member of the House of Lords: Waheed Alli, Baron Alli, Labour Member of the House of Lords, 1998–present (came out in 1999)

First openly bisexual MP: Simon Hughes, Liberal Democrat MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, from 1983 - 2015 (outed before coming out, came out in 2006)

First openly transgender MEP: Nikki Sinclaire, United Kingdom Independence Party (later Independent) MEP for the West Midlands from 2009 – 2014. Sinclaire stepped down shortly after coming out in 2013.[22] There has not yet been an openly transgender Member of Parliament.

First openly lesbian Member of the House of Lords: Deborah Stedman-Scott, Baroness Stedman-Scott, Conservative Member of the House of Lords, 2010–present

First openly lesbian Cabinet minister: Justine Greening, Secretary of State for International Development, 2012–16 (came out in 2016)

First openly pansexual MP: Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, from 2017–present (came out in 2020)

See also[]

References and notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Famous female firsts". MSN News. 11 November 2009. Archived 14 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "9 facts about Constance Markievicz: Incredible Irishwoman who fought in Easter Rising and became first-ever female MP". Irish Post. 5 February 2018.
  3. ^ Mastermind (1984 ed.). Treasure Press. p. 340.
  4. ^ Fawcett then sat as MP for Hackney until his death in 1884. Subsequent blind MPs have included William Tindal Robertson, a Conservative who succeeded Fawcett as MP for Brighton, from 1874 to his death in 1889; William Macdonald, MP for Ossory from 1886 to 1892; and Ian Fraser, Conservative MP for St Pancras North from 1924 to 1929 then from 1931 to 1934, then MP for Lonsdale from 1940 to 1958, before becoming a member of the House of Lords.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Your first mistake", The Guardian, 20 July 2006
  6. ^ "Labour MP Anne Begg made a dame in New Year Honours", BBC News, 31 December 2010
  7. ^ Rose, Damon. "Dame Anne Begg: 'What do I do now?'". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  8. ^ McClelland, Keith (6 October 2016). "Stewart, John (1789–1860)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/109523. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  9. ^ "Who were the first MPs from ethnic minority backgrounds?". UK Parliament. House of Commons Library. 28 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Memorial calls for Scotland's 'forgotten' first non-white MP". The Scotsman. The Scotsman. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  11. ^ "People with Disabilities - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  12. ^ Nicholas Timmins (25 July 1992). "Fanfare for a forgotten MP: Nicholas Timmins recalls the election to the Commons of a man of many 'firsts'". The Independent.
  13. ^ "Cabinet reshuffle: Sajid Javid resigns as chancellor". BBC News. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  14. ^ "First ethnic minority AM elected". BBC News. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  15. ^ "Scotland's first Muslim MSP dies". BBC News. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  16. ^ "First Asian MSP goes to Holyrood". BBC News. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  17. ^ Sanghani, Radhika (11 May 2015). "An Indian woman just made British history - maybe I can be Prime Minister after all?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Jewish Community". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  19. ^ "New Jewish ministers and the Miliband rivalry". The Jewish Chronicle. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  20. ^ "Sir Lindsay Hoyle promises calm after being elected Speaker". The Guardian. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  21. ^ Campbell, Dennis (30 January 2005). "The pioneer who changed gay lives". The Observer. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
  22. ^ Day, Aaron (17 November 2013). "Former UKIP MEP reveals she is the UK's first transgender Parliamentarian". Pink News. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.

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