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South Wales Argus
05-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Newport seamstresses help female MPs celebrate suffrage
This event was a tribute to the women's suffrage movement, with each MP wearing a handcrafted suffragette sash, created by Newport seamstresses. The occasion marked the 97th anniversary of the Equal Franchise Act 1928, the legislation that granted women the right to vote on equal terms with men. The sashes, personalised with each MP's rank in the historical list of women elected to the UK Parliament, were designed in the iconic suffragette colours: purple, white, and green. Welsh seamstresses based at Re:Make, Newport with Deputy PM Angela Rayner MP, Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East, and Ruth Jones, MP for Newport West and Islwyn. (Image: Supplied) Centenary Action, a cross-party coalition, initiated the event to acknowledge the progress made since 1928 and to continue the campaign for a gender-equal Parliament by 2028. The organisation is led by Helen Pankhurst CBE, a prominent women's rights activist and a descendant of suffragette leaders Emmeline and Sylvia Pankhurst. Helen Pankhurst said: "This is the most women MPs we've ever had — a milestone worth recognising. "But celebration alone isn't enough. "We need real, sustained action to ensure we reach a truly gender-equal Parliament by 2028, when we mark the centenary of equal franchise." The seamstresses who crafted these sashes travelled from Wales to London to witness the culmination of their hard work. Their contribution was a reminder of the deep-rooted connection between Wales and the wider fight for women's rights in the UK. Lucy from Re:Make chats with one of the MPs receiving their sash. (Image: Supplied) The event was not just a commemoration of a significant milestone in British democratic history but also a celebration of the continued presence and influence of women in politics. Each sash represented a step forward on the journey towards gender equality in Parliament. Currently, there are 264 women MPs, out of a total of 694, indicating that there is still work to be done to achieve a truly gender-representative Parliament. Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. Both are wearing sashes with their own elected number on them. (Image: Supplied) Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East, said: "I was so proud today to see these sashes, which have been crafted by a group of incredibly skilled women at Re:Make in Newport East. "Seeing so many women MPs wearing their sashes together today was quite the moment. "It is a testament to how far we've come since the Representation of the People Act of 1928, which gave women over the age of 21 the right to vote. "The number 264 represents around 40 per cent of the total Members of Parliament. "This shows there is still much work to do to achieve a truly representative Parliament in which 50 per cent of MPs are women. "Thanks to the work of groups like Centenary Action, that goal will one day be realised." She also thanked Centenary Action for their efforts and the team at Re:Make for their dedication in crafting the sashes.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Welsh group make 264 sashes for female MPs to mark women's vote
A team of Welsh seamstresses have made 264 sashes for every woman MP to mark 97 years since women were given the right to group, based in Newport, call themselves Lucy and the Sashmeisters, and the handcrafted white sashes were given to the current women MPs at Westminster Hall on sashes hope to both commemorate the difficulties faced during the suffragette movement, and the significance of the Equal Franchise Act of 1928, which gave women over the age of 21 the right to vote. Organised by Centenary Action, the project is part of the campaign for the equal number of men and women MPs, as currently there are only 40 percent of women MPs in government. Centenary action was established by Dr Helen Pankhurst, the granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst and great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst - two trailblazing women who founded the suffragettes and campaigned for women's right to to the act being passed, only women over the age of 30 who occupied a house, or were married to someone who did, could vote. The group have been crafting the sashes since March, and women of all age ranges and backgrounds helped out, with the youngest aged 15, and then the oldest aged 87. They are white twill sashes, with one purple ribbon down one side and green on the other side, the iconic colours of the British suffragette movement. Each sash is numbered, depending on where each MP comes in the all time list of women MPs. "There have only ever been 694 women MPs, so for all the women it connects them to the past, to the history of suffrage, it connects them to each other," said Dr Pankhurst. "It's a baton that's also being handed over to the next generation of women MPs, to know their number and find ways to support each other and transform Parliament."There are the most women MPs ever at present, which is a milestone worth recognising, said Dr Pankhurst, but she added "celebration alone isn't enough"."We need real, sustained action to ensure we reach a truly gender-equal Parliament by 2028, when we mark the centenary of equal franchise." Spearhead of the project, seamstress Lucy Harris, said: "I'm really proud to be able to do this for them, they work for us and particularly for women, we have a voice now.""Our earliest sash is for Diane Abbott," Ms Harris told BBC Radio Wales said while there aren't 50 percent women MPs yet, the process of making the sashes highlighted the increase of women going up per decade, which she described as "amazing". Nancy Astor was the first woman to sit as an MP in the House of Commons in 1919 and she sat alongside 706 men. Today, there are 386 men. Ms Harris said she was first put in touch with Dr Pankhurst in 2018, when she made 100 suffragette sashes for the march for women in London on International Women's Day. Just before Christmas last year, she said she got an email from Dr Pankhurst asking if she and those at Re:Make, a community repair and reuse space in Newport, would want to do it again. Labour MP Jessica Morden was heavily involved in the project, and helped deliver the sashes to Westminster. Ms Morden said she was "so proud" to see the sashes, and it was "quite the moment" to witness so many women MPs wearing their sashes together. "It is a testament to how far we've come since the Equal Franchise Act of 1928," she added. She described the event as a "fitting tribute" to all the suffragettes who fought and suffered to ensure that all women could have their say in how the country is run."The number 264 represents around 40 percent of the total Members of Parliament," she added. "This shows there is still much work to do to achieve a truly representative Parliament in which 50 percent of MPs are women."She thanked Centenary Action for bringing the project together and the "utterly brilliant" seamstresses at Re:Make for "working so hard to make all of the sashes from scratch".
