A Scottish MP has spoken of her pride at having been one of “Blair’s babes” as she issued a stern warning about the lack of women entering frontline politics.
Dame Anne Begg was one of the 101 Labour women elected to Westminster in Tony Blair’s historic landslide election victory in 1997.
The Aberdeen South representative featured in images of the new prime minister and his female MPs, who become known as Blair’s babes and helped double the total number of female MPs from 60 to 120.
Leading a debate on diversity in the Commons yesterday, Dame Anne contrasted these photographs with this month’s widely publicised picture of David Cameron surrounded by an all-male government front bench at prime minister’s questions.
“I wonder if it will go down in history, as iconic as the Blair’s babes photo I was proud to be in?” she said.
Dame Anne said: “We have heard a number of women MPs are standing down at the next election.
“Not unusual perhaps for women who are over 65 and have served in this place for over 20 years, but it is concerning when younger women who have only been in parliament for one term decide that they would rather be doing something else.”
She added: “Unless the women MPs who are standing down in 2015 are replaced by even more women, then the overall numbers could drop.”
After 1997, the number of women dropped in 2001 from 120 to 118, rising only slightly to 128 in 2005 and to 143 – 22% of the total number of MPs – in 2010.
Calling for action, Dame Anne said: “It might be all-women shortlists, it might be the use of primaries, it may be the use of an A-list, or whatever – but an effort must be made because it won’t happen by accident.”
She was the first full-time wheelchair user in the Commons and serves as chairwoman of the parliament’s work and pensions select committee.
Dame Anne said the same arguments applied to minorities, people of different sexuality and disabled.
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