Castle Point MP, Rebecca Harris, hosted a student from Seevic College at Westminster as part of International Women’s Day to promote greater equality for women in politics and the wider world.

Jemma Ross was able to watch and ask questions during a session of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, visit Downing Street and watch the International Women’s Day debate in Parliament.

The group of 66 students from across the UK also took part in a workshop run by Frances Scott, founder of the 50:50 Parliament campaign, and her team which got everyone thinking about how more female representation in Parliament can be achieved.

MPs from the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party all took part in the day.

During the debate, MPs discussed the motion “That this House expresses its solidarity with International Women’s Day; notes with concern that, despite women making up 51 per cent of society as a whole, more progress needs to be made in electing women to Parliament, as well as in establishing equal pay and parity between men and women in positions of leadership; and calls for greater action against FGM and other practices that are harmful to women”

Speaking during the debate Mrs Harris said that the gender pay gap in the UK “remains stubbornly persistent” and pointed out that more men called John currently serve as CEOs of FTSE 100 companies than the total number of women in the same job.

Eastleigh MP Mims Davies, who led the debate in Parliament and organised the day for the MPs and students said:

“This has been an important day for women across the world and it has shown here in Westminster to all the students who came and to MPs too just what can be achieved and must be achieved if we are to have equality, not just in the numbers of women MPs, but also across the whole of society.”