Blair Babe

In the British House of Commons, the 101 female Labour Party Members of Parliament elected in Labour's landslide general election victory in 1997 became popularly known as Blair [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/babe Babes] (or Blair's Babes). [A headline in "The Sun" punningly referred to "Blair's backwenchers": [http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2006711,00.html Drink, deception and the death of an MP] , "The Guardian", 6 February 2007.] Images from a photocall on Friday 2 May 1997, the day after the election, with 96 female Labour MPs standing alongside new Prime Minister Tony Blair on the steps of Church House in Westminster, were widely publicised. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1721937.stm All-women shortlists clear new hurdle] , BBC News, 21 December 2001 (including iconic photograph of Blair Babes)] [The five absent female Labour MPs were Kate Hoey, Clare Short, Glenda Jackson, Lynne Jones and Julie Morgan.] The term has been condemned by Polly Toynbee as a "casual, misogynist tag". [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,457512,00.html Better than men] , "The Guardian", 16 March 2001.]

The 1997 general election saw more women elected to the House of Commons than ever - 120 - and exactly double the 60 elected at the 1992 general election. 101 of these women MPs were Labour Party politicians. There were also 13 Conservatives, three Liberal Democrats, and three from other parties (including Betty Boothroyd, who by convention was elected unopposed in 1997 as sitting Speaker of the House of Commons, without party affiliation, although she was previously a Labour politician).

Expectations were high that the substantial increase in female representation in the House of Commons would lead to changes in the style and conduct of legislative business. However, many of the new female MPs grew disillusioned with the lifestyle of an MP, and nine "Blair Babes" either chose not to stand or lost their seats in the 2001 general election. Despite two female MPs winning by-elections between 1997 and 2001, and other women being elected, the total number of female MPs fell to 118 at the 2001 general election. A further 22 "Blair Babes" stood down or lost their seats at the 2005 general election, although the number of female MPs increased again to a new record of 127.

List of Blair babes

Notes

References

* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/02/09/ftbabe09.xml The Babe who fell from grace] , "The Daily Telegraph", 9 February 2007
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4698222.stm The 'Blair babes': Where are they now?] , BBC News, 8 May 2007
* [http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/leadership/Pdf/BlairsBabes.pdf Blair's Babes: Critical Mass Theory, Gender, and Legislative Life] , Pippa Norris and Joni Lovenduski, 2001 (PDF)
* [http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/notes/snsg-01528.pdf Social background of MPs] , Parliament, Standard Note 1528, 17 November 2005 (PDF)