With two MPs for parents, Sarah Winterton was one of the proudest women in the country. She felt as though her family was at the centre of events, and her parents, Nicholas and Ann Winterton - respective Members for Macclesfield and Congleton - were truly making a difference at the heart of British politics. But when the Wintertons became caught up in the parliamentary expenses scandal in 2009, Sarah was forced to question some of her longest-held assumptions about politics, family and the media. Was the life of a backbench MP worth the candle? Why slog away for hours on behalf of your constituents, if your only reward was to be vilified by Fleet Street? In this affectionate, defiant memoir, Sarah Winterton celebrates a pair of MPs renowned for their bloody-minded independence, who remain the longest-serving couple in the history of the House of Commons. She warmly and unashamedly defends not just her outspoken parents, but an entire political class in a time of great upheaval. With her rare perspective on 21st-century British politics, Sarah reveals a lost political world through insightful anecdotes, and asks challenging questions about the character of modern MPs and the functioning of Britain's parliamentary democracy.

FOREWORD BY PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY When Constance Markievicz stood for election as MP for Dublin St Patrick's in 1918, few people believed she could win the seat – yet she did. A breakthrough in the bitter struggle for female enfranchisement had come earlier that year, followed by a second landmark piece of legislation allowing women to be elected to Parliament – and Markievicz duly became the first female MP. A member of Sinn Féin, she refused to take her seat. She did, however, pave the way for future generations, and only eleven months later, Nancy Astor entered the Commons. A century on from that historic event, 491 women have now passed through the hallowed doors of Parliament. Each one of these pioneers has fought tenaciously to introduce enduring reform, and in doing so has helped revolutionise Britain's political landscape, ensuring that women's contributions are not consigned to the history books. Containing profiles of every woman MP from 1918 to 1996, and with female contributors from Mary Beard to Caroline Lucas, Ruth Davidson to Yvette Cooper and Margaret Beckett to Ann Widdecombe, The Honourable Ladies is an indispensable and illuminating testament to the stories and achievements of these remarkable women.

'THE POLITICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR' Tim Shipman A blistering narrative exposé of infighting, skulduggery and chaos in Corbyn's Labour party, now revised and updated. * A Times, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times and i Newspaper Book of the Year * Left Out tells, for the first time, the astonishing full story of Labour's recent transformation and historic defeat. Drawing on unrivalled access, this blistering exposé moves from the peak of Jeremy Corbyn's popularity and the shock hung parliament of 2017 to Labour's humbling in 2019 and the election of Keir Starmer. It reveals a party at war with itself, and puts the reader in the room as tensions boil over, sworn enemies forge unlikely alliances and lifelong friendships are tested to breaking point. This is the ultimate account of the greatest experiment seen in British politics for a generation. 'Gripping... Every bit as good as people say' Guardian 'Reads like a thriller...told with panache and pace' Financial Times 'The definitive post-mortem of the Corbyn project' Sunday Times

Incorporating HC 565-i to v, session 2003-04

Contains the 4th session of the 28th Parliament through the session of the Parliament.