All across the Country, MPs, Councillors, schools and community groups are promoting Parliament Week.
As we mark 100 years since the first women gained the right to vote, I am delighted that local groups such as 1st Radford Rainbows and Brownies in Plymstock have got involved in UK Parliament Week and played their part in our thriving democracy.
UK Parliament Week is a UK-wide festival taking place from 12-18 November, which aims to engage people, especially young people, from different backgrounds and communities, with the UK Parliament and empower them to get involved.
UK Parliament Week is part of the UK Parliament’s Vote 100 programme, celebrating equal voting rights and other milestones in the UK’s democratic history. A record high of 32% women MPs were elected to the House of Commons in 2017’s General Election. However, there is further to go in encouraging diversity.
Other centenaries coming up this year include the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act which gave women over 21 the right to stand for election as an MP (21 November) and the 1918 General Election when women over 30 and all men over 21 voted for the first time (14 December).
As MP for South West Devon I welcome the involvement of people in the constituency during UK Parliament Week 2018. I am determined to ensure that our voters and citizens of tomorrow understand how vital their participation is in our democracy, and I’m pleased to see local groups taking part.
In 2017, UK Parliament Week reached more than 360,000 people, with over 4,500 events. This year’s UK Parliament Week festival is the largest ever and will see more than 7,000 registered events with over 500,000 people taking part. Participating organisations include Scouts, Girlguiding, and the British Youth Council.