United Kingdom’s first female Prime Minister and also the longest serving Prime Minister in the 20th century, Margaret Thatcher served three consecutive terms in the office from 1979 till 1990. Her political views and leadership approach, known as Thatcherism, got her the nickname of Iron Lady. Though controversial, she prominently ranks high in the list of the best British Prime Ministers.
Glenda Jackson is best known for her Academy Award-winning roles in the films Women in Love and A Touch of Class. She has also won two Emmys for playing Elizabeth I in the TV series Elizabeth R and a Tony for her role in the play Three Tall Women.
Amber Rudd is a former politician who served as the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2019. From 2016 to 2018, she served as Home Secretary under Prime Minister Theresa May. Also a humanitarian, Amber Rudd is part of an organization called Snowdon Trust, which helps disabled people access education.
![Angela Rayner Angela Rayner](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/angela-rayner-1.jpg)
![Yvette Cooper Yvette Cooper](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/yvette-cooper-1.jpg)
![Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/raine-spencer-countess-spencer-1.jpg)
![Frances Barber Frances Barber](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/frances-barber-1.jpg)
![Constance Markievicz Constance Markievicz](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/constance-markievicz-1.jpg)
Irish revolutionary political leader and suffragist Constance Markievicz scripted history by becoming the first woman to be elected as a cabinet minister in Europe and also the first female to be elected to the British Parliament. Sentenced to death for her role in the Easter Rising, she was later granted amnesty.
Anna Soubry is a British journalist, barrister, and former politician. A vocal critic of Brexit, Soubry left the Conservative Party in February 2019 in order to join the Independent Group for Change (Change UK). Subsequently, Anna Soubry was appointed as the party's leader before the disbandment of Change UK following the party's failure at the December 2019 general election.
![Samantha Cameron Samantha Cameron](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/samantha-cameron-1.jpg)
![Carrie Lam Carrie Lam](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/carrie-lam-76434-1.jpg)
Carrie Lam is a Hong Kong politician who has been serving as the Chief Executive of Hong Kong since 2017. From 2007 to 2012, she served as the Secretary for Development. From 2012 to 2017, Lam was the Chief Secretary for Administration. A controversial leader, Carrie Lam's administration witnessed the criminalization of the Hong Kong National Party.
![Claire Williams Claire Williams](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/claire-williams-23232-1.jpg)
![Tessa Jowell Tessa Jowell](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/tessa-jowell-76497-1.jpg)
![Justine Greening Justine Greening](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/justine-greening-50368-1.jpg)
![Jo Cox Jo Cox](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/jo-cox-52932-1.jpg)
British MP and Labour Party politician Jo Cox had also worked with Oxfam. The world was shocked by the news of her brutal assassination in 2016. She was shot and stabbed multiple times by far-right terrorist Thomas Mair, who believed the white race was under threat due to leftist beliefs.
Theresa May is a British politician who became the United Kingdom's second female prime minister. She served as prime minister from 2016 to 2019. During her prime ministership, May's involvement in the Brexit negotiations gave rise to the Brexit withdrawal agreement. She is also credited with co-founding Women2Win, which promotes women empowerment.
![Andrea Leadsom Andrea Leadsom](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/andrea-leadsom-1.jpg)
![Layla Moran Layla Moran](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/layla-moran-1.jpg)
![Harriet Harman Harriet Harman](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/harriet-harman.jpg)
Harriet Harman is an English solicitor and politician who has been serving as a Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham since 1982. An influential and popular politician, Harman has served in several Shadow Cabinet as well as Cabinet positions. Under Tony Blair, Harman served as the Secretary of State for Employment, Shadow Social Security Secretary, and Shadow Health Secretary.
A pioneering leader of the women’s suffrage movement in Britain, Millicent Fawcett also co-established the Newnham College, Cambridge, which was one of the first English women’s universities. She also served as the president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies and investigated British concentration camps during the South African War.
![Esther McVey Esther McVey](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/esther-mcvey-1.jpg)
![Louise Mensch Louise Mensch](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/louise-mensch-51807-2.jpg)
![Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/barbara-anne-castle-baroness-castle-of-1.jpg)
![Florence Green Florence Green](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/florence-green-2.jpg)
![Caroline Lucas Caroline Lucas](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/caroline-lucas-1.jpg)
![Christabel Pankhurst Christabel Pankhurst](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/dame-christabel-harriette-pankhurst-1.jpg)
Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst was a British suffragette who co-founded the Women's Social and Political Union. From 1912 to 1913, Pankhurst directed the organization's militant actions from France. After the war, Christabel Pankhurst settled down in the United States of America where she served as an evangelist for the Second Coming movement.
![Kate Hoey Kate Hoey](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/kate-hoey-49893-1.jpg)
![Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/valerie-amos-baroness-amos-1.jpg)
![Catherine Ashton Catherine Ashton](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/catherine-ashton-baroness-ashton-of-upholland-1.jpg)
![Clare Short Clare Short](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/clare-short-54145-1.jpg)
![Leanne Wood Leanne Wood](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/leanne-wood-1.jpg)
![Maryam Namazie Maryam Namazie](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/maryam-namazie-128596-1.jpg)
Maryam Namazie is a British-Iranian secularist, human rights activist, communist, commentator, and broadcaster. Namazie has had a huge impact on the lives of refugees around the world. In the USA, she co-founded the Committee for Humanitarian Assistance to Iranian Refugees. Maryam Namazie is also an outspoken critic of cultural relativism and the oppression of women in some Muslim countries.
![Rosi Sexton Rosi Sexton](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/rosi-sexton-106428-1.jpg)
![Fleur Anderson Fleur Anderson](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/fleur-anderson-126821-1.jpg)
![Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield-1.jpg)
Apart from being a successful scientist with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, Susan Greenfield teaches pharmacology at the Lincoln College, Oxford. She is also part of the House of Lords and has penned a sci-fi novel. She supports causes such as Dignity in Dying, too.
![Diana Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington Diana Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/diana-wellesley-duchess-of-wellington-1.jpg)
![Margaret Bondfield Margaret Bondfield](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/margaret-bondfield-1.jpg)
Apart from being the first female minister and privy counsellor from the UK, politician and trade union leader Margaret Bondfield was also the first woman to chair the Trades Union Congress. She also served as a Labour Party MP and a minister of labour. Her written works include her memoir, A Life's Work.
![Mandu Reid Mandu Reid](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/mandu-reid-123408-1.jpg)
![Janet Mary Baker Young, Baroness Young of Farnworth Janet Mary Baker Young, Baroness Young of Farnworth](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/janet-mary-baker-young-baroness-young-1.jpg)