Key statistics about the most diverse House of Commons in history
The new House of Commons is the most diverse in the history of the United Kingdom.
Here are some of the key statistics:
– A record number of women MPs have been elected: a total of 220, up from 208 at the 2017 election. For the first time, women account for over one-third (34%) of all MPs.
– Just under a quarter (24%) of Conservative MPs are women. This is up from 21% at the 2017 election. By contrast, 51% of Labour’s MPs are women, up from 45% in 2017. It is the first time in Labour’s history that more than half of its MPs are women. The proportion of SNP MPs who are women is unchanged on 34%.
– A record 65 MPs are from an ethnic minority background, up from 52 MPs in 2017, according to equality think tank British Future. Of these, 41 are Labour MPs, 22 Conservative and two Liberal Democrats. This means that one in five (20%) Labour MPs is from an ethnic minority background, compared with 6% of Conservative MPs.
– In another first, more ethnic minority women (37) have been elected to the House of Commons than men (28).
– The new House of Commons includes Labour’s first British Chinese MP, Sarah Owen, representing Luton North. She is the second British Chinese MP to be elected – the first is the Conservative MP Alan Mak, who was re-elected for the seat of Havant.
– Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, is the first black member of parliament ever to be elected in Liverpool.
– The proportion of MPs who went to a comprehensive school has risen slightly from 52% at the 2017 election to 54%, according to the social mobility charity The Sutton Trust. The proportion who were independently educated is unchanged on 29%.
– 41% of Conservative MPs went to an independent school, down from 45% in 2017 and from 66% in 1997. The equivalent figure for Labour is 14%, down from 15% in 2017 and 16% in 1997. Around 7% of the general population attend independent schools.
– The proportion of Conservative MPs who went to either Oxford or Cambridge University is 27%, down from 51% in 1997. Labour’s figure has risen slightly, from 15% in 1997 to 18% in 2019.
