Photographs of Women MPs

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Labour women MPs.

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Conservative women MPs.

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Liberal Democrat women MPs.

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Independent Labour MP, Clare Short.

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Lorely Burt MP, Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party.

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A private photographic viewing of women MPs in Westminster will be unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in the autumn to mark 90 years since women were first given the vote.

The original "Blair's Babes" Reuters photographer Kieran Doherty was invited back to Westminster to take the historic group photographs by Women's Parliamentary Radio working in association with the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat Parties and the Independent Labour Party.

Barbara Follett MP, the Parliamentary Secretary for Equality, will be unveiling the viewing at the National Portrait Gallery in the autumn.

Jackie Ashley, Chair of Women's Parliamentary Radio said: "Kieran Doherty's photographic viewing is a remarkable achievement for all concerned. To be able to take photographs of this many women MPs this quickly shows the true talents of a news photographer at the top of his profession. Kieran remained cool throughout and fully in command of his art as the women leapt in and out of the photographs. He even managed to capture the Dalai Lama as he bid his farewell to Westminster after speaking in Parliament Hall and the tallest and shortest female MPs standing back to back. It was a really historic day on many fronts."

Boni Sones, Executive Producer of wpradio.co.uk said: "When I co-authored the book "Women in Parliament: The New Suffragettes", with Margaret Moran MP and Professor Joni Lovenduski, in 2005, I stated in the introduction that when you walked around galleries like the National Portrait Gallery all you could see were male MPs waving order papers. A prominent national visual image of our women MPs in Westminster is needed to show all women that politics is a career they can aspire to and to mark the considerable achievements of contemporary female MPs, 90 years since women first got the vote."

Until now the most often used photographic image of women MPs has been the so called "Blair Babes" picture taken on 7th May 1997 shortly after 101 Labour women were elected to Westminster as a result of positive action by the Labour Party.  That picture was taken by Reuter's Kieran Doherty, who had climbed up the steps to get the women looking up at him and waving. Many disliked it.

On May 21st 2008 Kieran was invited back to Westminster at the invitation of Boni Sones, founder of Women's Parliamentary Radio, to photograph the women MPs again. The new composite portraits, taken party by party over three photo calls, aim to ensure that a more enduring image of women's participation in the political process survives.

Each party gave its permission for the photograph to be taken to mark 90 years since women first got the vote. In February 1918 women over 30 were first granted the vote and 10 years later in July 1928 the voting age was lowered to 21.

104 out of a possible 125 women MPs were photographed. 83 of the 95 Labour women MPs were photographed, 11 of the 17 Conservative women, all 9 of the Liberal Democrat women MPs, and Clare Short, Independent Labour.

Kieran Doherty assembled the women on the steps at New Palace Yard, under Big Ben in the heart of the Westminster village where the women are well used to assembling to have their photographs taken.

Kieran said: "I was worried about the weather in the days leading up to the photo calls but in the end I was lucky and the rain stopped. The late May, early June light was ideal for photographs of this nature. It is certainly one of the more challenging and significant assignments of my news photography career."

As Caroline Spelman MP, Chairman of the Conservative Party, arrived for the photo call she announced that "The Carlton Club" had just voted to accept women. The viewing is entitled "The Day the Carlton Club accepted women - 90 years after women first got the vote."

It was also the day after the controversial vote on the Human Embryology and Fertilisation Bill when lowering the legal time limit on abortions from 24 to 22 weeks had been discussed and defeated.  It was also the day before the Crewe and Nantwich by-election following the death of the longest serving woman MP, Gwyneth Dunwoody. In America, Hillary Clinton was battling for the Democratic Party's nomination for the presidency which Barack Obama eventually won two weeks later.

The composite photographs are taken party by party with Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Independent Labour. The three major parties have women as Chairs or Chairmen or Chairwomen. Harriet Harman MP QC is the Labour Party Chair, Caroline Spelman MP is Chairman of the Conservative Party, and Lorley Burt, is Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party. All three were photographed separately.

Kieran Doherty took advantage of a lighter moment in the schedule when Vera Baird MP, the Solicitor General, arrived late and as the tallest women in Westminster met the shortest women, Sarah Teather MP, the Liberal Democrat's Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. They were photographed back to back on the steps of New Palace Yard. Vera is 5ft 11 1/2 inches tall and Sarah is 4ft 10 inches tall.

You can read more detail about the historic photocall here.
Copyright for the pictures belongs to Boni Sones.
Thanks to Pete Cook of ScreenSpace for editing of the images.