Local politicians John Lamont MP and Rachael Hamilton MSP have issued a call for women in the Borders to get involved in politics and stand for public office in advance of tomorrow’s 100 year anniversary since Parliament gave women the right to vote.
We want to see more women in public life, and more women representing the Conservative Party at all levels.
The Conservative party has a proud record of promoting women in politics. Unlike any other party, both UK and Scottish leaders are women. The first woman to sit in the House of Commons was a Conservative, and the Conservatives were the first party in the western world to elect a female Prime Minister.
Founded in 2005 by the Prime Minister, Women2Win supports the Conservative Party’s commitment to select more women to fight winnable Parliamentary seats and elect more Conservative women to Parliament. Rachael is Director and John is a mentor in the Women2Win Scotland programme.
Commenting, Rachael Hamilton MSP said: “This week marks the 100th year since women got the vote. That is a huge landmark and rightly should be celebrated.
“Getting the vote though was only the beginning, since then we have had female politicians, Prime Ministers and First Ministers.
“And that does not mean the work is over. Now more than ever we need to see more women get into politics and I look forward to equal representation soon. As Director of Women2Win Scotland I am committed to encouraging and helping more women get into politics.”
John Lamont MP added: “A record number of women were elected to Parliament at the 2017 General Election – but there is still a lot more work to do.
“I was delighted that the by-election to replace me as an MSP resulted in an all women list of candidates, but it is unusual to have such healthy female representation in frontline politics. I want to see more women in politics and more women representing the Conservative Party at all levels.
“That is why I will be celebrating this milestone and using it as an opportunity to encourage more women to stand for public office.”