THE Reform Act of 1832 had done sterling work, yet women were barred from voting, and property tests still excluded four in five men, especially those working men whose labour powered the economy.

In 1867, a new Act made fifty-three more seats available to densely populated areas, and property qualifications were relaxed to include skilled workers. Eligible men now touched one in three, increased to forty percent by further legislation in 1884. Women were still excluded by law.

But the sacrifices made by men and women of all backgrounds during the Great War, and a defiant Suffragette movement, showed that sex, age and wealth had little to do with responsible citizenship.

Consequently, the Representation of the People Act of 1918 enfranchised every man over twenty-one, regardless of economic status, and women over thirty who were ratepayers or married to ratepayers. The following year, Nancy Astor became the first female MP, and in 1928, women were granted voting rights on the same terms as men.