British Female Political Leaders

Vote for Your Favourite British Female Political Leaders

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 1 
Margaret Thatcher
(The Longest-Serving British Prime Minister of the 20th Century)
Margaret Thatcher
57
Birthdate: October 13, 1925
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Grantham, Lincolnshire, England
Died: April 8, 2013

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.

 2 
Glenda Jackson
(English Actress and Politician Known for Her for Role as ‘Gudrun Brangwen’ in the Film ‘Women in Love’)
Glenda Jackson
4
Birthdate: May 9, 1936
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Birkenhead, England
Died: June 15, 2023

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.

 3 
Angela Rayner
(Politician)
Angela Rayner
4
Birthdate: March 28, 1980
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Stockport, England
 4 
Amber Rudd
(Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018 - 2019))
Amber Rudd
6
Birthdate: August 1, 1963
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom

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.

 5 
Diane Abbott
(Former Shadow Home Secretary)
Diane Abbott
8
Birthdate: September 27, 1953
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paddington, London, England, United Kingdom
 6 
Yvette Cooper
(Political Leader)
Yvette Cooper
4
Birthdate: March 20, 1969
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Inverness, Scotland, UK
 7 
Nancy Astor
(Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton (1919-45))
Nancy Astor
4
Birthdate: May 19, 1879
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Danville, Virginia, United States
Died: May 2, 1964
 8 
Carrie Lam
(Politician)
Carrie Lam
6
Birthdate: May 13, 1957
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Wan Chai, Hong Kong, England

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.

 9 
Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer
(Politician)
Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer
4
Birthdate: September 9, 1929
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Newbury, London, England
Died: October 21, 2016
 10 
Betty Boothroyd
(Politician)
Betty Boothroyd
3
Birthdate: October 8, 1929
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dewsbury, England, United Kingdom
 11 
Constance Markievicz
(Politician)
Constance Markievicz
3
Birthdate: February 4, 1868
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: London, England, United Kingdom
Died: July 15, 1927

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.

 12 
Jess Phillips
(Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom)
Jess Phillips
4
Birthdate: October 9, 1981
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Birmingham, United Kingdom
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 13 
Frances Barber
(Actress)
Frances Barber
4
Birthdate: May 13, 1957
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 14 
Anna Soubry
(British Barrister, Journalist and Member of Parliament for Broxtowe (2010 - 2019))
Anna Soubry
6
Birthdate: December 7, 1956
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England

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.

 15 
Theresa May
(Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
Theresa May
14
Birthdate: October 1, 1956
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Eastbourne, United Kingdom

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.

 16 
Rachel Johnson
(Editor, Journalist)
Rachel Johnson
5
Birthdate: September 3, 1965
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London, England

Rachel Johnson is a British television presenter, journalist, and author. She is known for appearing in panel discussion programs and debate programs, such as The Pledge and Question Time. A well-known novelist, Johnson served as a judge of the 2013 Women's Prize for Fiction, one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the UK.

 17 
Tessa Jowell
(Politician)
Tessa Jowell
3
Birthdate: September 17, 1947
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Marylebone, London, England
Died: May 12, 2018
 18 
Justine Greening
(Political Leader)
Justine Greening
3
Birthdate: April 30, 1969
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, UK
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
 19 
Andrea Leadsom
(Politician)
Andrea Leadsom
4
Birthdate: May 13, 1963
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
 20 
Layla Moran
(Politician.)
Layla Moran
3
Birthdate: September 12, 1982
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England, UK
 21 
Jo Cox
(Former British Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen (2015 - 2016))
Jo Cox
4
Birthdate: June 22, 1974
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Batley, West Yorkshire, England
Died: June 16, 2016

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.

 22 
Harriet Harman
(British Politician and Solicitor)
Harriet Harman
4
Birthdate: July 30, 1950
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Marylebone, London, United Kingdom

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.

 23 
Emily Thornberry
(Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington South and Finsbury Since 2005)
Emily Thornberry
4
Birthdate: July 27, 1960
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Guildford, Surrey, England
 24 
Nadine Dorries
(Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire Since 2005)
Nadine Dorries
5
Birthdate: May 21, 1957
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Liverpool, United Kingdom
 25 
Arlene Foster
(Political Leader)
Arlene Foster
4
Birthdate: July 3, 1970
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
 26 
Priti Patel
(Former Home Secretary of the United Kingdom)
Priti Patel
14
Birthdate: March 29, 1972
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: London, England, United Kingdom
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
 27 
Ann Widdecombe
(British Politician, Author, and Television Personality)
Ann Widdecombe
4
Birthdate: October 4, 1947
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bath, Somerset, England
Height: 5'1" (155 cm)
 28 
Millicent Fawcett
(Feminist Politcian Who Led the Women's Suffrage Movement in Britain)
Millicent Fawcett
3
Birthdate: June 11, 1847
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Aldeburgh, England
Died: August 5, 1929

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.

 29 
Esther McVey
(Politician)
Esther McVey
4
Birthdate: October 24, 1967
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 30 
Samantha Cameron
(Housewife, Businessperson)
Samantha Cameron
5
Birthdate: April 18, 1971
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paddington
 31 
Louise Mensch
(Blogger)
Louise Mensch
4
Birthdate: June 28, 1971
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Westminster, London, England
 32 
Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn
(Politician)
Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn
3
Birthdate: October 6, 1910
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chesterfield, United Kingdom
Died: May 3, 2002
 33 
Shirley Williams
(Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords (2001-04))
Shirley Williams
3
Birthdate: July 27, 1930
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Chelsea, London, England
Died: April 12, 2021
 34 
Christabel Pankhurst
(British Suffragette and Co-Founder of the 'Women’s Social and Political Union')
Christabel Pankhurst
3
Birthdate: September 22, 1880
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
Died: February 13, 1958

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.

 35 
Caroline Lucas
(Political Leader)
Caroline Lucas
3
Birthdate: December 9, 1960
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK
 36 
Kate Hoey
(Political Leader)
Kate Hoey
3
Birthdate: June 21, 1946
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK
 37 
Mo Mowlam
(Politician)
Mo Mowlam
3
Birthdate: September 18, 1949
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Died: August 19, 2005
 38 
Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos
(Politician)
Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos
3
Birthdate: March 13, 1954
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Georgetown, Guyana
 39 
Catherine Ashton
(Politician)
Catherine Ashton
3
Birthdate: March 20, 1956
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Upholland, West Lancashire, England
 40 
Clare Short
(Politician)
Clare Short
3
Birthdate: February 15, 1946
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
 41 
Leanne Wood
(Welsh Politician)
Leanne Wood
3
Birthdate: December 13, 1971
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Llwynypia, Glamorgan, Wales
 42 
Maryam Namazie
(Human rights activist, Politician)
Maryam Namazie
0
Birthdate: 1966
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran

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.

 43 
Rosi Sexton
(British Sports Therapist, Politician and Retired Mixed Martial Artist)
Rosi Sexton
2
Birthdate: July 16, 1977
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Versailles, France
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
 44 
Fleur Anderson
(Shadow Paymaster General)
Fleur Anderson
0
Birthdate: February 6, 1971
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Jersey, Channel Islands
 45 
Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield
(English Scientist, Writer and Broadcaster)
Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield
2
Birthdate: October 1, 1950
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chiswick, London, England

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.

 46 
Margaret Bondfield
(The First Female Cabinet Minister from the UK)
Margaret Bondfield
2
Birthdate: March 17, 1873
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Chard, Somerset, England
Died: June 16, 1953

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.

 47 
Mandu Reid
(Leader of the Women's Equality Party)
Mandu Reid
0
Birthdate: 1981 AD
Birthplace: Malawi
 48 
Janet Mary Baker Young, Baroness Young of Farnworth
(Politician)
Janet Mary Baker Young, Baroness Young of Farnworth
1
Birthdate: October 23, 1926
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Widnes, England
Died: September 6, 2002
 49 
Catharine Macaulay
(Historian)
Catharine Macaulay
1
Birthdate: April 2, 1731
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Wye, Kent, England
Died: June 22, 1791
 50 
Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Baroness Masham of Ilton
(English Swimmer and Member of the House of Lords, Lord Temporal)
Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Baroness Masham of Ilton
1
Birthdate: April 14, 1935
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Caithness, United Kingdom