On February 6th 1918, with the coming into force of the Representation of the People Act, women were by law first given the vote in this country. Even though this foundational right only applied to a restricted category of women initially, the dam had been breached and the universal franchise would soon follow. 100 years on, to the very day, LSE Law will be marking this constitutional watershed with speeches from Brenda Hale, Shami Chakrabarti, and Nicola Lacey.

There will also be an opportunity to view key historic documents from the women’s library held by the LSE, followed by a drinks reception.

This public lecture is the first in a series of LSE Law events taking place over 2018 and 2019 to mark the Centenary of the founding of the LSE Law department. 

Shami Chakrabarti was formerly director of the human rights group Liberty, and is now the Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales. She is a Visiting Professor at LSE Law.

Brenda Hale is an English judge and is the current President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. She is the first woman to serve in the role, and she is one of only two women to have ever been appointed to the Supreme Court (alongside Lady Black). 

Nicola Lacey is School Professor of Law, Gender and Social Policy at LSE.

Jeremy Horder is Head of the Law Department and Professor of Criminal Law at LSE.

LSE Law (@lselaw) is an integral part of the School's mission, plays a major role in policy debates & in the education of lawyers and law teachers from around the world.

Twitter Hashtags for this event: #LSEsuffrage18 #LSELawCentenary

Podcast & Video

A podcast and video of this event are available to download from 100 Years of Votes for Women: an LSE Law celebration.

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.