“My awakening to the fight for women's votes came when I was 13, and the BBC screened a drama called 'Shoulder to Shoulder' about the suffragettes, with the great Sian Phillips as Emmeline Pankhurst. It made a huge impression on me - not just the history, but because of the debates it triggered at home.”

British politician, MP for Islington South and Finsbury

Dame Emily Thornberry is a British politician and Labour Party MP for Islington South and Finsbury, a seat she has held since 2005. She has been a prominent figure on the Labour front bench for much of her career. Her roles have included Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales, first from 2011 to 2014 and again from 2021 until the 2024 general election. She also served as Shadow Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2020, Shadow First Secretary of State from 2017 to 2020, and Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade from 2020 to 2021.