Record number of female MPs have won seats in UK general election

Courtesy: cnn.com More women MPs have been elected to the House of Commons than ever before, according to the Press Association news agency, breaking the previous record of 208. A number of well-known female MPs -- including Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, ex-Conservative rebel Anna Soubry and Labour rising star Laura Pidcock -- all lost their seats, but newly successful female candidates have more than made up for their departures. Swinson was replaced by Amy Callaghan of the SNP, while Dawn Butler of Labour and Wera Hobhouse of the Liberal Democrats were two female MPs to hold onto their seats. A record number of female candidates were put forward for this election, and the cohort has improved on the previous high set in 2017. A number of female lawmakers quit their posts prior to the election, with some citing vicious abuse and intimidation as reasons for stepping down. One four-day period in late October saw six female politicians resign because of the difficulties of being an MP, personal circumstances, or due to threats. The resignations followed on from the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016. One woman who may be set to play a pivotal role in the future of the Labour party is Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, who is tipped to be a candidate for the party leadership. Centrist Labour MP Jess Phillips also signaled her intention to run in a possible leadership contest as current leader Jeremy Corbyn signaled his intention to step down in the near future. If a woman does triumph, she will become the first female leader in the history of the Labour party.