Over the last fortnight, EqualiTeas events have been taking place up and down the country to mark the centenary of the first women being given the right to vote in Britain in 1918, and parity of the franchise between men and women which took place a decade later.
On 2nd July 1928, under the premiership of Stanley Baldwin, the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928 became law. It’s this date which is being marked at EqualiTeas events including one at Crawley Museum which I was delighted to speak at. It’s vital we honour the sacrifices made for our democracy.
Such events are taking place to mark these milestones in recognition of the fact that tea parties were once hotbeds of political activism. They were ways in which women could meet to discuss and plan, and the leading suffrage organisations used tea parties and tea shops to help in their campaign, increase awareness and raise money.
With the first petition to Parliament calling for votes for women being presented to the House of Commons in 1832, it’s right that we mark the strides our democratic system has taken. Earlier this year, the Prime Minister helped unveil a statue of the suffragist leader Dame Millicent Fawcett; the first ever statue in Parliament Square of a woman.
It’s also important that we pay tribute to those who protect our way of life. Saturday marks Armed Forces Day, a time to give our support to this nation’s serving troops, service families, veterans and cadets. We will never forget their sacrifice and their service.
Henry Smith MP
Crawley Constituency