Women2Win 10th anniversary celebration - some of the new intake lauded by the PM last night

Last night the PM gave one of the best speeches I have ever heard from him - and I have heard him many times! He was incisive, articulate, warm, intellectual, and brilliant at speaking passionately about the changes brought about by W2W, the greater numbers of women in politics and their impact around the Cabinet table. He also did a brilliant impression of Tony Benn, as he retold the great mans advice on how people react to change.

But the stars of the show were the many new intake female MPs. Many of them are in the picture below. All were selected on merit, beating men, and all are lighting up the House of Commons. I played a very small part in the women2win drive to turn these unpolished diamonds into gems. This is done by mentoring, and help by coaching; it is one of the things I am most proud of in the last parliament. They are, from left to right, and excluding the two ladies from the House of Lords who are on either end:

Suella Fernandez (Fareham)

Helen Whately (Faversham)

Lucy Fraser (Cambridgeshire)

Kelly Tolhurst (Rochester)

Anne Jenkin in front of my boss, the deputy chief whip Anne Milton (Guildford)

Mims Davies (Eastleigh)

Wendy Morton (Aldridge Brownhills)

Victoria Atkins (Horncastle)

Lucy Allen (Telford)

Seema Kennedy (South Ribble)