28th December 1918: Constance Markievicz becomes the first woman to be elected to the UK Parliament

On the 28th December 1918, Constance Markievicz became the first woman to be elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Welcome to HistoryPod. Born into a wealthy Anglo-Irish family, Constance Markievicz became involved in Irish nationalist politics and social activism in the early 20th century. During the 1916 Easter Rising, she played a prominent role, commanding a unit of rebels and serving as second-in-command at St Stephen's Green in Dublin. By the end of 1918, Markievicz was back in prison for her role in anti-conscription activities during the First World War. Nevertheless, she was permitted to stand as a candidate in the 1918 general election, which was the first in the United Kingdom that gave some women the right to vote, following the Representation of the People Act that had passed just a few weeks earlier. Markievicz stood as a Sinn Féin candidate, campaigning for Irish independence and the establishment of a republic, and secured over 63% of the vote in the constituency of Dublin's St Patrick's. However, in line with Sinn Féin's policy, she refused to take the oath of allegiance to the British Crown, and consequently did not take her seat in the House of Commons. Instead, she participated in the establishment of the first Dáil Éireann, the revolutionary parliament of the Irish Republic, in January 1919. Although she was in prison at the time, she was appointed Minister for Labour, becoming one of the world's first female cabinet ministers. Later that year, Lady Nancy Astor chose to contest the by-election for Plymouth Sutton. After winning 51.9% of the vote, she entered the House of Commons on December 1st 1919, making her the first British female MP to take her seat.