Photo credit Yorkshire Liberal Democrats
Women became eligible to stand for election to Parliament in 1918 and the first woman Liberal MP was elected in 1921. Yet until 1986, only four women ever sat as Liberal MPs, half of whom were elected at by-elections. Between 1951 and 1986 there were no Liberal women MPs at all. Then came the Ryedale by-election and Elizabeth Shields. Elizabeth joined the Party in 1964 after being canvassed by what she describes as ‘an enthusiastic young man’ who talked about the Party’s values and beliefs until she realised they chimed with her own. So she paid 2 shillings and 6d (half a crown) or 12 and 1/2p in decimal coinage and became a member of the party.
Elizabeth became a local councillor and a parliamentary candidate. She stood for Howden in 1979 and then Ryedale in 1983 losing the latter by 16,000 votes. Three years later, the Conservative sitting MP died and Elizabeth was again our candidate. She not only gained the seat with 50.03% of the vote, overturning the huge majority, she won with a respectable margin of 4,940 votes. A swing of 19%. Importantly, she ended the long wait for a woman to be elected as a Liberal MP. Sadly, the Conservative regained the seat at the 1987 General Election but in the forty years since, the Party has never been without a woman MP. Elizabeth wrote about her experience of being an M.P. in her book ‘A year to remember’.
The Ryedale by-election was just two years after I joined the party and I met Elizabeth at Party Conference. While I knew about her overturning a 16,000 majority I had never realised the significance of her victory to women. Prior to Elizabeth Shields the last woman Liberal MP had been Lloyd George’s daughter Megan Lloyd George. Women stood in parliamentary elections. They just didn’t get elected.
Elizabeth continued to serve as a councillor including a time as Group Leader and as Chair of the District Council until she lost her seat in the 2019 local elections. She remains a Parish Councillor.
Elizabeth was guest of honour at this year’s Spring Conference in York where Party President Josh Babarinde presented her with a special award.
Elizabeth is now 98 years old and remains a member of Lib Dem Women. We in LDW are thankful to Elizabeth Shields for stepping up, being prepared to fight a seemingly hopeless seat but most of all, for ending the 35 year long famine of Lib Dem women MPs
Elizabeth – you’re a hero.
* Elizabeth Jewkes is a member of the Lib Dem Women Executive and has stood for the party many times for a variety of unwinnable seats. She is possibly best known as the creator of the policy to raise the income tax threshold. She is vice chair of Cheshire West and Chester local party.
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7 Comments
What a joyous picture!
Ruth, it’s clearly a glitch of my browser, but right now I’m looking at a massive image of Josh Babarinde with the subject of the photo out of sight… hopefully this will correct itself…
We should also note the contribution to this by-election victory of yet another woman, the Yorkshire Liberal Federation’s dynamic secretary at the time, Jane Rutter (née Merritt), who acted as Elizabeth’s agent. Jane has since ploughed a distinguished career as a Liberal in Local Government in the Winchester area (about as far away from Yorkshire as you can get.)
Matt – Hold a finger on the photo and stroke it left.
Well an 16,000 majority and the Liberal/SDP Alliance set out to win the by-election. I dread to think what would happen these days. The party would be debating whether to pay for a freepost.
40 years ago! Thank you Lizzie for reminding me just how old I am. It was a marvellous by-election victory. Of course the sadness was that on the same day the late Chris Walmsley failed to win West Derbyshire by 100 votes. I still recall being told off by an activist that the Party’s feminism had overcome its pragmatism and that I should have gone to help Chris not Elizabeth.
The famine had partially ended in 1981 when Shirley Williams had won the Crosby byelection for the SDP as an Alliance candidate. This year has another anniversary. It is 10 years since Sarah Olney won the Richmond by-election thus ending an 18 month absence of Lib Dem women MPs from the Commons following the 2015 General Election.
Overcoming such huge odds was a momentous victory for Elizabeth and the party at the time – it also provided a valuable lesson in showing that resources need to be poured into seats contested in General Elections following by-election victories in order to hold a hard won seat.