Guiding the House of Lords
30 October 2018
60 years on from the first female member taking her seat in the House of Lords, 60 Girl Guides and 60 female members are celebrating the anniversary.
Girl guides from across the UK are travelling to Westminster to take part in a shadowing event, gaining an insight into the vital work members do in shaping laws and holding the government to account. They will sit alongside female members of the Lords as they work on parliamentary business, then watch the members in action as they question the government in the chamber of the House.
The event is part of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Life Peerages Act. The act introduced life peers and brought women into the House of Lords for the first time. Baroness Swanborough was the first female member to take her seat on 21 October 1958.
Further information
- Follow @UKHouseofLords on Twitter for images
- Find out more about Life Peerages Act 1958
- Watch Baroness Barker discuss the Life Peerages Act on YouTube
- Find out more about members and their roles
- Order or download our People and Membership briefing
- Read the Lords Library briefings: Life Peerages Act 1958: 60th anniversary and Life Peerages Act 1958: First Life Peers
- Read our news story on 60 years of life peers
Image: Copyright House of Lords 2017 / Photography by Roger Harris