Intoxicating Liquor (Sale to persons under 18) Act

On 24th February 1920 Astor stood alone amongst an audience of over 500, mainly  hostile, male MPs to deliver her maiden speech. Her subject was close to her heart - the need for restrictions on the sale of alcohol. Her speech emphasised the damage it caused to women and children as well as the economic cost to the country.

In 1923 she introduced the Intoxicating Liquor (Sale to Persons under Eighteen) Bill, the first Private Member's Bill by a woman to be passed and become an Act of Parliament. To this day alcohol cannot be sold to anyone under 18.